Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark, concentrated and brooding wine. Those familiar with Hoopes Vineyard wines will recognize the signature aromas and flavors of their distinct site. Aromas are a study in ripe black fruits, savory herbs, fennel, anisette, graphite, and black tea. A refined expression of Oakville, balanced with freshness of citrus oil, resinous cedar and the warmth of vanilla, and plum in the mouth. While initially restrained, a lush sweet entry opens to a dense and weighty mid-palate finishing with the enticing and complex tension of cocoa and espresso with a hint forest floor and rich earth.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A solid red with dark chocolate, spice and berry character. Full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs to soften a bit.
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Wine Spectator
A broad-shouldered version, with waves of black currant, fig and boysenberry that are well-steeped in feel, laced with loam and tobacco details and backed by grip and muscle, showing enough brambly energy to stay focused and continue moving through the dense finish. Best from 2021 through 2030.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2015 Hoopes Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is sturdy, well-balanced, and complex. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of exotic spices, black fruits, and oaky notes. Enjoy it with a grilled garlic and rosemary-infused leg of lamb. (Tasted: June 27, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
Someone must make a violet-infused bar of dark chocolate. If not, there’s always this wine, with its delicious blue-black fruit and bright scents of flowers in a chocolate bomb. The dense fruit is generously oaked, warm and giving.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is 100% varietal and aged 22 months in French oak, 45% of it new. Maraschino cherry highlights its juicy midpalate of lush texture and integrated tannin structure, with a length of dried herb, lavender and black pepper on the finish.
At Hoopes Family Vineyard and Winery, the love of wine and farming are priority number one. Family owned and operated, dedicated to crafting wines that seamlessly capture the relationship between grape-grower and winemaker. The wines marry old-world-farming and taste profiles with new-world fruit flavors and ripeness. Since 1999, the goal with the flagship Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon has been to capture the truest expression of the old-vine vineyard's terroir. Planted in 1983 by Spencer Hoopes, it was previously a fruit source for a number of famous estates until the winemaking began being done in house. When the second-generation Proprietor Lindsay Hoopes took the reins, she hired Heidi Barrett prodigy Anne Vawter as Winemaker. Anne broadened the scope to include very limited production Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Chardonnay, Syrah and Merlot, showcasing the diverse appellations of Napa Valley. Along with Dante’s Block, the Reserve Cabernet named after our beloved canine mascot, these boutique wines are only available direct from the winery.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.