Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesIncluding 7% Merlot and from vineyards throughout the valley, the 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet reveals a deep purple color as well as a rich, powerful bouquet of blackcurrants, dark chocolate, spice, licorice, and scorched earth. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, with ripe yet present tannins, it has the more Bordeaux, elegant style of the vintage. Drink it over the coming 15 years or more.
A fresh, focused red with berries, black tea and hints of graphite. Medium to full body. Flavorful finish. Yet, it’s reserved and not overdone. Drink now.
Very different than its maker's one-year-older, Cor Leonis bottling, this very dense, highly extracted wine takes a short step back with regards to pushy ripeness and a big one forward in regard to challenging astringency. It has the tough structure and tightness of a mountain-grown wine, yet it is rife with sweet oak and has a wealth of curranty fruit that somehow manages to fight its way past what are close-to-ferocious tannins that mandate a good half-dozen years of age. Hide it away where it will not be disturbed and give it a look when seven or eight years have passed.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made up of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot aged 20 months in 60% new oak and comes from five different vineyards. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it features crème de cassis, dried herbs, aged meat and preserved plums with hints of tobacco and tilled earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers bags of bright, crunchy black fruits with loads of earthy sparks and a rugged texture, finishing with loads of freshness.
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.