Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Veraison Cabernet opens with captivating anise aromas, cherry and peppery California bay leaf, offering a sense of place and character, followed by notes of juicy plum and cardamom. This wine envelopes the palate with a round, lush mouthfeel loaded with dark fruit flavors of black currant and blackberry, giving way to bay leaf and cinnamon. The luxurious finish echoes the wine’s first impression with a delicate encore of anise. Pair with duck breast in a bordelaise sauce, butternut squash ravioli, or roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and caramelized onions.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Smoky black and blue fruits, dark chocolate, graphite, and violet notes all emerge from the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Veraison, a plump, full-bodied, ripe, sexy 2021 with a great mid-palate, some of the firm, focusing tannins of the vintage, a good sense of freshness, and outstanding length. It's a big, rich, textured 2021 that will evolve for 15 years. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged 19 months in 42% new French oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
No longer exclusively Stagecoach fruit, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Veraison is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine's nose boasts plenty of raspberry and cherry fruit accented by hints of alfalfa and backed by deeper notes of black cherries and cassis. It's full-bodied, and while it starts off rather supple, the tannins do clamp down on the slightly rugged finish. Rating: 91+
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Wine Spectator
No longer exclusively Stagecoach fruit, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Veraison is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine's nose boasts plenty of raspberry and cherry fruit accented by hints of alfalfa and backed by deeper notes of black cherries and cassis. It's full-bodied, and while it starts off rather supple, the tannins do clamp down on the slightly rugged finish.
Rating: 91+
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.