Winemaker Notes
The wine presents notes of vibrant red fruit, dark cherry, raisin, and fig, offering a juicy and lush tannin profile. It carries hints of chocolate and earth. The finish is remarkably long-lasting, showcasing a well-balanced acidity that complements its amber-red hue.
Blend: 84% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Nice strawberry, cherry, mushroom, bark and berry aromas and flavors. Medium body, light tannins and a savory finish. Delicious. 86% grenache and 14% mourvedre.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 86% Grenache and 14% Mourvèdre from a one-acre vineyard block in Rutherford, the 2019 McGah Vineyard Heritage is only medium garnet in hue. Seductive notions of cardamom, cinnamon, strawberries and cherries appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is silky but also a touch astringent on the finish.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.