Winemaker Notes
The opaque core of the 2023 Mercury Head flashes with a neon crimson rim. Mesmerizing in the glass, the wine opens with notes of blackcurrant, Amarena cherry, California chapparal and an elegant kiss of oak. The palate is effusive with hints of ripe blue fruits, blood orange, dark chocolate and rhubarb—rich and layered as the wine continues to open. Fully integrated tannins are paired with an elegant and nuanced close of blackberry preserves and licorice.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A super-concentrated, trim and age-worthy red that's structured and deep, with black cherry flavors on an elegant texture. Very focused, showing supple tannins and slightly restrained fruit, graphite, cocoa, black olive and tobacco leaf flavors. Full-bodied but still balanced.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bold, generous, and hearty, this full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon is built to satisfy though intensity, layers of flavor, and palate-cleansing structure. Black currants, plum skin, and fig robed in chocolate gain tobacco and graphite from the mid palate. Tannins are almost velvety, persisting with balanced acidity into a pleasurable finish.
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Wine Spectator
This offers a fan-friendly gush of dark plum, blackberry and boy- senberry compotes notes wrapped in black licorice. Shows enough brambly energy underneath to keep pumping along steadily through the muscular finish. For those looking for maximum fruit impact.
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.