Winemaker Notes
Blueprint Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is dark ruby with purple edges, revealing gorgeous aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and blackberry puree. Flavors follow in step, adding blue and red fruits with notes of cocoa, black olive and sage. It is richly-layered with wonderful freshness and bright energy. Finely-balanced, long and delicious, this is a great expression of the excellent 2019 vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint has a deep garnet-purple color and sings of wild blueberries, Morello cherries and red and black currant jellies with touches of dried mint, chocolate box and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, the palate bursts with crunchy black fruits, supported by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and lifted.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Connoisseurs' Guide
Serious Cabernet is not meant to be drunk at a mere two years of age, yet, as is the case here, those from talented producers and better sites show their depth and complexity and wine making polish nonetheless. The latest Blueprint bottling from Lail is a deep and impressively concentrated rendering with a solid grasp on precise, cassis-like fruit buttressed by lots of young Cabernet tannins and, even now, shows a palpable sense of appreciable layering. Time in the cellar, however, is an absolute must here, and drinking before its seventh or eighth birthday would be a hard-to-forgive sin.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A great value from this team, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint offers classic Cabernet notes of blueberries, currants, chocolate, and a touch of chocolaty minerality in a full-bodied, round, layered, concentrated style. It should keep for 10-15 years. Best After 2022
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James Suckling
Beautiful complexity of blueberry, chocolate and walnut character to this red with a full-bodied yet not overpowering palate that shows freshness and richness at the end. From various areas in Napa. Warm, but firm. Lovely drinkability this year. 96% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Drink or hold.
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.