Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon rivals the best Levy & McClellan offerings they have made to date. Its opaque blue/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas of graphite, wet rocks, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, a distinctive floral note, background oak and hints of white chocolate and charcoal embers. Full-bodied with spectacular concentration, this layered wine reveals a vibrant structure and freshness despite its enormous size and richness. While slightly more evolved than the 2009, it is a much bigger, richer wine that will require 3-5 years of cellaring. This classic Napa Cabernet should age effortlessly for three decades or more.
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.