Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A beautiful opaque purple color is accompanied by equally attractive notes of spring flowers, charcoal, creme de cassis and blueberry liqueur. Richly fruity, pure, full-bodied and layered, this voluptuously textured, dramatic, flamboyant Cabernet Sauvignon needs 2-4 more years of cellaring to hit its prime and should keep for two decades thereafter.
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Wine Enthusiast
The oak jumps out—think char, vanilla and new barrels. But this magnificent wine is much more than that. It’s intensely ripe with cassis, pure and focused. It has sweet tannins and fine, good acidity and perfect balance. Superb right out of the bottle, but should hold through the decade.
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Wine Spectator
Remarkably complex, dark, dense and concentrated, with layers of currant, blackberry, mocha, cedar and spice. This wine delivers pure, rich flavors; rugged, firm, rich and earthy tannins give it character.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.