Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesPlenty of blueberry and chocolate aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with round, fresh tannins. Lot of blue fruit and walnuts. Then crushed stones with the fruit at the finish. Flavorful, yet not overdone. Give this four or five years to come around. Try after 2025.
A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color. The nose absolutely sings of warm blackcurrants, black cherries and mulberries plus fragrant suggestions of chocolate box, lilacs and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with energetic, crunchy black fruit flavors, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. What a bargain price for this classic Napa Cab beauty! Rating: 92+
This powerful and dark yet youthful red is full-bodied and concentrated with black fruit, underbrush, and tobacco-laden cedar. Sturdy, dusty tannins are wound tightly around notes of pencil shavings and plum skin.
Another outstanding wine from this estate, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon offers up medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of spiced plums, blackcurrants, new leather, incense, and tobacco. It's nicely textured, has a balanced, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and, I suspect, the class to evolve nicely for 10-12 years.
Mount Veeder Winery is a dramatic estate with three vineyards carved high in the hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains, overlooking southern Napa Valley. The property totals 121 acres, mostly forest and brush, out of which only 47 are planted to vine.
Vines ranging from 1,000–1,600 feet in elevation cling to rugged, steep slopes that offer cool conditions that lead to slow ripening, which extends the growing season. Mount Veeder is usually the last to harvest in Napa Valley. The result is fruit with highly concentrated flavors - big, bold and brambly - a Cab lover's feast.
Mount Veeder Winery was the first in Napa Valley to plant all five red Bordeaux varieties in the same vineyard. Its expertise with these grapes is manifest in Mount Veeder Winery Reserve, a meritage blend of these noble grapes, which are still grown on the property.
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.