Winemaker Notes
While the 2003 J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it remains a "cuvee" as the wine is a blend of different lots of Cabernet coming from harvests of different vineyards on different dates. The select small lots were sourced from the Lail Vineyards estate on Howell Mountain and the Phillips Family Vine Hill Ranch in the Oakville appellation. Due to the painstaking and detailed selection of lots to marry into the final blend, just 800 cases were produced.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lail’s flagship 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2003 J. Daniel Cuvee, is a 900-case effort made from two fruit sources, the Howell Mountain hillsides and the valley floor Vine Hill Vineyard near Yountville. The result is a gorgeously proportioned, dense purple-colored offering boasting a stunning nose of black currants, smoke, earth, and charcoal. Big and rich, with superb purity and great structure, but neither overbearing nor astringent...
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.