Winemaker Notes
WRAITH is a trinity of Hundred Acre’s three single vineyard wines. It is a selection of barrels set aside in the cellar from those waiting to be blended someday into the single vineyard wines from Kayli Morgan, ARK or Few and Far Between. All very different and incredibly unique. The WRAITH shows all the beauty and personality of each individual vineyard and how they come together to develop even greater complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Wraith has a medium garnet-purple color and a hauntingly beautiful nose of kirsch, red roses, fragrant soil and menthol over a core of blueberry compote, raspberry pie and preserved plums plus faint glimpses of crushed rocks, lavender, tapenade and smoked meats. The palate is full-bodied, tightly knit and super intense with a solid structure of perfectly ripe, fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and minerally. This is one of those very rare wines that so beautifully straddles the pinnacles of hedonic and the cerebral experiences, forever compelling you to take just one more sip.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Wraith cuvée was first added in 2013 and is a cellar selection blend from the three estate vineyards, the Ark, Few and Far Between, and Kayli Morgan. As with the other releases here, it’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in new French oak. The beautiful 2015 is one of the spicier, more complex releases in the lineup. Loads of cassis, kirsch liqueur, toast, bouquet garni (rosemary/thyme), licorice, iron, and dried flower notes all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless texture that just about could not be better, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. A quintessential 2015 that shows the ripe, sexy style of the vintage yet still stays refined and elegant, it’s another thrilling wine from Woodbridge.
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.