Winemaker Notes
Blend: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A prodigious effort is the 2007 LMV Salon (a 1,000-case blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot). A proprietary red of this quality with a Napa appellation usually sells for $200 or more. A dense purple color is followed by a beautiful perfume of spring flowers, ink, espresso roast, creme de cassis, and black cherries, a full-bodied, voluptuous texture, staggering depth and purity, and a 50-second finish. This exceptional Napa Cabernet Sauvignon should drink well for 20-25+ years.
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.