Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is marked by hard tannins and acidity, bearing blackberry, dark chocolate and mineral flavors, with a smoky oak note that is unintegrated with the other components. Will it age? There's a purity to the core that strongly suggests it will. Hold it until 2017, and it could develop bottle nuance well beyond that.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and concentrated, with a rich array of dark berry built around currant, blackberry, mineral, cedar and spice. Most impressive on the finish, where the flavors push through in style. Best from 2014 through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon flows across the palate with dark berries, espresso, mocha, grilled herbs and sweet spices, all of which come together in a soft, sumptuous style that is very appealing. Ripe, silky tannins typical of the vintage support the fruit all the way through to the long, generous finish. The 2009 spent 18 months in French oak barrels and is the first vintage made with the consulting services of Paul Hobbs. This is a terrific showing from Merus. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.
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.