Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon State Ranch is deep garnet-purple colored with violets, chocolate box, menthol, cassis, black raspberries, tea and new leather on the nose. Full, firm and grainy, the palate is packed with black fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed.
Rating: 95+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon State Ranch comes from a site in Yountville and is similarly purple-colored, with a deeper bouquet of cassis, blueberries, scorched earth, dark chocolate, violets, and graphite. As with the Hayne Vineyard, it's pretty, elegant, and silky on the palate, with medium to full body, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It will drink well for 2+ decades.
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James Suckling
This has a very strong blue-fruit character with a softer, smoothly rendered palate texture that offers real drinkabiliity and attractive, appealing style. Fresh and fleshy through the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: In my recent forays to the Napa Valley, I have found myself drawn to the Yountville AVA as a good place for sourcing Cabernet Sauvignons. The 2016 Nickel & Nickel State Ranch is an excellent example of why we should pay attention here. TASTING NOTES: This wine is alluring and racy. Its aromas and flavors of cranberries and mineral should pair it superbly with lighter meat dishes. (Tasted: January 11, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.