Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a solid cab with a backbone of ripe and chewy tannins and lots of wet earth, black currant and autumnal leaf character. Full and powerful. This needs a few years to soften. Better in 2019.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (White Label) is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in about two-thirds new French oak. Very Bordeaux-like, with a St.-Julien-like personality, there are notes of crushed stones, gunflint, licorice, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake and loads of red and blackcurrants. It is a powerful wine with a hint of chocolate as well. This beautiful and structured yet elegant wine should drink well for at least 15-25 years.
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.