Lail Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
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#1 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2020
Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is deep ruby with purple edges in color, with exotic aromas of ripe red plum, bittersweet chocolate, black cherry and loganberry. Spicy flavors of ollalieberry, blackberry, and boysenberry add further intrigue and complexity. Its texture is round, lush, creamy, and perfectly balanced.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Made by Philippe Melka and his team, this is a grippy, earthy wine, vibrant in blue fruit, plum and sage. Round, lush and opulent on the palate, it glides seamlessly across supple, integrated tannin and oak, effortlessly incorporating 11% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. The vineyard sources range from the producer’s Mole Hill Estate on Howell Mountain to the cooler reaches of Coombsville.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot from a multitude of vineyards, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint reveals a saturated purple color as well as classic notes of blackcurrants, tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and hints of new leather. Beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, ripe, and textured, it's a smoking good, affordable effort well worth seeking out. It will evolve for 10-15 years or more.
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James Suckling
A rich, juicy red with lots of blackberry, blueberry and tar character. Medium to full body, velvety tannins and a delicious finish. Some graphite at the end. Mostly cabernet sauvignon but 11% merlot (rare) and 6% petit verdot. Really enjoyable now. Drink or hold.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
11% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot. As well-focused as it is intense and a Cabernet that immediately impresses as being very serious stuff, Lail’s latest Blueprint leads with deep, beautifully defined aromas of blackcurrants, briar, olives and sweet oak that deepen and expand with each successive sniff, and it does not disappoint on the palate. It is full and fleshy with terrific Cabernet focus and texture, and, even if roughed up by plentiful finishing tannin, its fruit refuses to relinquish the stage and lasts and lasts once its youthful astringency eases. Do not even think about pulling its cork until at least three or four years have come and gone, and, given the choice, we would relegate it to a cool spot deep in the cellar and wait for twice as long.
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Suckling
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Dunnuck -
Connoisseurs'
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Wine
Enthusiast -
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Dunnuck -
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Connoisseurs'
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Robin Daniel Lail’s heritage began in 1879 with the founding of Inglenook Vineyards by her great -granduncle, the iconic Captain Gustave Niebaum. By the early 1890s, this brilliant man’s obsession for achieving the pinnacle of excellence earned Inglenook wines the status of being considered by many as the finest produced in the country.
The determination to achieve excellence was carried forward through the decades following Niebaum’s death in 1908, with a crescendo in the thirty years following the repeal of Prohibition under the meticulous, passionate stewardship of John Daniel, Jr., Robin’s father. The collection of Cabernets coming from his years of ownership is still celebrated today as some of the finest red wines on earth.
Although Inglenook was sold in 1964, the passion for winemaking did not fade. Robin inherited her father’s respect for tradition. After working as the personal assistant to her mentor, Robert Mondavi, for five years, she left in 1982 to co-found Dominus Estate with Christian Moueix. The following year she co-founded Merryvale Vineyards with Bill Harlan, serving as president for a decade, before finally launching on her eponymous venture, Lail Vineyards, with her two daughters in 1995. Today her family honors his legacy with their relentless pursuit to produce wines second to none.
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.