Winemaker Notes
Dark colored, with an aroma both deep and rich, the flavors are full and satisfying, both complex and attractive, yet destined to improve over time. In my more than 40 years in the wine business, I’ve never had a wine to sell that gives me greater satisfaction.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
High-toned for the vintage with lots of new wood to the lively fruit. Full body and chewy tannins that are slightly austere. Yet, I think it is going to come around nicely with some bottle age. Try after 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is savory and supple in well-integrated tannins. Black fruit, graphite and a robust mouthfeel make it powerful and complex, leading to a finish of baking spice that persists. This needs time in the cellar; enjoy from 2027–2030. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and ripe, with an unctuous edge to the mix of plum and blackberry fruit, showing notes of cocoa and black licorice in the background. The finish reveals a toasty side, but the fruit keeps pace.
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.