Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is another Bordeaux look-alike (Latour?) with its density, structure, and regal style. It offers blackcurrant, graphite, crushed rock, and lead pencil shaving aromas and flavors and is full-bodied, supple, and seamless on the palate, with building yet perfectly polished tannins. Showing the polished, elegant style of the estate, flawless balance, and a great, great finish, it's going to keep for 30-40 years. Rating: 98+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is the first year that Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 100% of the Grand Vin State Lane. Aged in French oak, 90% new, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard slowly unfurls to reveal tantalizing notes of chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries and crème de cassis with nuances of pencil lead, bouquet garni, tree bark and crushed rocks plus a waft of iron ore. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated yet with fantastic tension, the palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins to support throughout the long, mineral-tinged 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.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.