Winemaker Notes
This wine displays notes of deep black cherries and dark fruit, with finely integrated oak, exquisite balance and length.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Ken Forrester Wines are made by the up and coming Jesse Katz, who’s responsible for a bevy of brilliant wines in this report. Black raspberries, toasted spice, graphite, and dried tobacco notes all emerge from the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon The Bridge, which is rich, full-bodied, and seamless, with awesome mid-palate depth and blockbuster finish. It's a big wine, no doubt, yet it has remarkable purity and elegance, fine tannin, and a seamless texture. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming 20-25 years. This cuvée comes all from the Farrow Ranch Vineyard in Alexander Valley and spent 26 months in 50% new French oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from clone 337 and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in French oak. This wine displays notes of wood spice, earth, black and red currants, licorice and tobacco leaf. It is full-bodied, has excellent purity, and was bottled with no fining or filtration. This is an impressive, concentrated wine to drink over the next 15 or so years. No telephone number available.
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Wine Enthusiast
A partnership between Ken Forrester and Sonoma County--based winemaker Jesse Katz, this 100% varietal wine comes from a single block of a rocky, hillside site that Katz also sources for his delicious Devil Proof Malbec. Creamy, concentrated waves of vanilla and cherry, with just a hint of almond, open the way to high-toned structure and integrated tannin and oak, finishing balanced and bright.
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Wine Spectator
Combines a charming mix of juicy red berry fruit with a captivating aroma of anise, gravelly earth, tobacco leaf and floral notes. Shows good length, and should gain depth.
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.