Winemaker Notes
Vivid dark red. The bouquet has notes of sun-ripened raspberry, baking spice, cedar, rose petal and wild honeysuckle. Palate is dense, rich, dark with lush tannins.
Blend: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Blending 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and smaller percents of Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this is a compelling sum of many parts: woody and powerfully built. Dark cherry, sage, clove and cigar wrap around integrated tannin and robust ripeness that grips.
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe berries, barley and cedar. A full and rich red with lots of dried fruit, such as figs and prunes. Big and ripe style.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.