Winemaker Notes
On the nose, this wine is bursting with dark fruits and roasted nuts, with hints of fresh black cherries, blackcurrant, rose petal, and roasted walnuts. The palate shows rich flavors of black cherries, toasted hazelnuts, fresh sage, mocha, and subtle vanilla and oak flavors. Tannins are firm in their youth but will soften with age.
Pair this full-bodied wine with full-bodied dishes, use the lush tannins to help cut through richer dishes, or enjoy with braised short ribs or well-seasoned steak.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Aromas of black coffee and dark fruit lure you in as towering notes of balsamic, white pepper, blackberry, and walnut take over on the rich and spicy palate. Dusty tannins maintain their grip on the finish.
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.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.