Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Positively brimming with succulent ripe-berry fruit and awash in lovely oak, this opulent but beautifully balanced working shows both fine fruity muscle and a careful winemaking hand. Its scant notes of pepper bring it a quiet varietal twist, while its ongoing themes of blackberries, vanilla, creme brulee and its accents of minerals make for a deep, involving, eminently satisfying wine. It has so much going on that it will tempt early drinking, but its fine structure and sure sense of extract are the prerequisites for a very long aging cycle.
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Wine Spectator
Firm, rich, intense and spicy, with vivid wild berry, blueberry, spice, mineral, sage and cedar notes. Delicate, balanced, full-bodied and persistent, ending with chewy tannins and great length. Drink now through 2014. 550 cases made.
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.