Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Lindstrom Cabernet Sauvignon, a stunning wine from the Stag's Leap District in Napa Valley, is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot. This wine exhibits gorgeous plum top notes and a hint of tobacco on the finish, while its generous, velour-like texture is filled with dark, ripe fruit.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made by the incredibly talented Celia Welch, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a rocky site located just above Odette, in the Stags Leap District. It’s an ethereal, elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and boasts a vivid purple color as well as medium to full-bodied notes of crème de cassis, dried flowers, cedarwood, and spice. With integrated acidity, fine yet present tannins, and nothing out of place, it should evolve beautifully for two decades or more. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District sings of fragrant earth, truffles and wood smoke notions with a core of preserved plums, black cherry compote and peppered salami with a waft of potpourri. Firm, grainy and packed with tightly wound, muscular black fruit, it has stacks of earthy layers and a very long mineral-tinged finish.
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.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.