Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Janet Meyers selects this reserve from estate vineyards that rise to 1,600 feet, with varied expositions and slopes. This blend is mostly cabernet sauvignon (91 percent), with small amounts of merlot, malbec and petit verdot. It’s a pure Veeder expression of cabernet, as if you can feel the juiciness rising up and then tumbling down into the tannins, foresty and earthy, rosy and dynamic. All that action occurs along a rich, supple texture, like jalapeño chocolate. Cellar this to allow its complexity to evolve.
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Tasting Panel
Dark, rich and deep with notes of mint, spice and blackberry; juicy with dense minerals, earth and density; long and balanced, intense and lush. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec.
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.