Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberries and blueberries with hints of sweet tobacco follow through to a full body, chewy and poised tannins and a flavorful finish. A blend of 95 per cent cabernet sauvignon and a dash of petit verdot. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is Old World in style, subdued and elegantly layered in dark cherry and plum. Structured and soft in its youth, it contains 5% Petit Verdot and finishes in a nuanced reminder of toasted oak and vanilla.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Reserve, which includes 5% Petit Verdot, reveals a spicy, kirsch, and brambly, cedary spice-driven style as well as a medium-bodied, elegant texture. As with all three of these wines, it’s impeccably balanced and high quality. Drink this outstanding wine over the coming 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Containing 5% Petit Verdot, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Reserve features pure red and black currants, black berries and black raspberries with touches of earth and herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and chewy with good concentration and loads of mineral spark, finishing long and layered.
Covering the most vine acreage in the state compared to any other red wine variety, Cabernet Sauvignon produces as much wine in California as Merlot and Pinot Noir combined. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates, as well as the freedom of its winemakers, allow for an incredible range of wine styles from this single grape.
California’s most famous region—and especially for Cabernet Sauvignon—is the acclaimed Napa Valley. While Cabernet is successful throughout the world, rarely has it achieved such merit as it does from the Napa Valley. At this point the two are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other.
Napa’s closest neighbor, Sonoma County, does an impressive job keeping up with Napa’s fame and glory. Alexander Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Moon Mountain and Knights Valley contribute to the lot of some of California’s top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lake County in California’s North Coast has become a focus for some of Napa’s more respected growers. From the Central Coast come iconic examples of classic California Cabernet; Lodi and the Sierra Foothills are great budget-friendly sources of amicable Cabernets.