Winemaker Notes
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Polished and gentle in feel, this is broad and friendly in approach, offering steeped blackberry and black cherry fruit laced with light dill, smoldering tobacco and warm cast iron hints. Shows menthol and sage on the back end too, along with a cedary twinge. An admirable effort for the vintage and still holding well enough. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.