Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similarly purple-hued, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard is more backward and closed compared to the 2015, but it’s certainly loaded with potential. Giving up a rock star bouquet of cedar pencil, cassis, darker currant, white flowers, espresso, and smoke tobacco, it hits the palate with an incredibly sexy, seamless texture that carries ultra-fine tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, subtle oak, and a great, great finish. The 2015 is certainly more showy at this point, but I think the 2016 will surpass it around age 10. I certainly look forward to finding out!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard tumbles out with free-flowing, flamboyant crème de cassis, blackberry pie and boysenberry preserves scents, followed by fragrant earth, wet rocks, dried roses and tobacco leaf hints. The full-bodied palate has a stunningly plush texture and amazing harmony, featuring achingly beautiful earth and fruit preserves layers with loads of floral accents and a very long finish. Breathtaking!
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.