Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals notes of warm blackcurrants, black cherry compote and blueberry preserves with touches of cedar, mocha, new leather and sandalwood plus a waft of bay leaves. Full-bodied and giving a taut frame of chewy tannins, it has loads of muscular fruit and a long cedar-laced finish.
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Decanter
This is serious stuff, a wine with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot co-mingling with Cabernet Sauvignon in perfect harmony. Multilayered and complex, its black plum and blackcurrant fruit is enhanced by a mountain minerality reminiscent of graphite, with oaky notes of ground espresso and mocha. Sturdy tannins and fresh acidity make it a candidate for cellaring, though it’s delicious now. A modern Alexander Valley style. 60% new French oak.
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Wine Spectator
A seamless style, supple and graceful, with rounded tannins that have some grip and a rich center of dark berry, gravel, spice and wood flavors. Drink now through 2027.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.