Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Another great success from Merryvale. Somehow they manage to make red wines that are ripe, oaky and opulent, yet maintain balance so that you can drink it over the course of a meal without the flavors palling. Dry and tannicly sophisticated, it shows complex waves of blackberries, cassis, cherries and sweet, smoky cedar.
-
Wine Spectator
Perfumed floral, ripe blackberry and wild berry flavors are firm and structured, deep and persistent, more intriguing as they evolve on the palate. Ends with layers of dark berry fruit.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.