Winemaker Notes
Classic Napa Valley Cabernet aromas of ripe blackberry and red currant are underpinned by an alluring dark forest floor earthiness and a high note of red licorice/candy shop. Valley floor fruit brings mouth-filling plushness to the palate, while concentrated mountain fruit drives through the core. Focused black fruit –cherry, plum, and raspberry –surge long and deep with hints of black olive and freshly cracked pepper. Polished tannins frame and lengthen the palate as a balancing acidity provides a magnifying lift. The finish is long, juicy, and plush with a thrust of grippy tannin, persisting with notes of vanilla bean, warm spice, and toasted hazelnut.
Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 1% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So creamy, chocolatey and layered despite full tannins and a full body, this is a rich, oak-spiced and saturated, classic Napa cabernet. Aged in 70% new French barrels for 15 months, it offers black cherries and blackberries with vanilla bean, cocoa, cassis and toasted walnut accents.
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Wine Enthusiast
Juicy and full of flavor, this savory Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend brings together all five Bordeaux varieties for a complete and mouthwatering wine. Flavors of ripe black fruits and bramble combine with tobacco and herbs for a lengthy and enticing wine.
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Wine Spectator
Frankly ripe, offering an enticing gush of açaí, blackberry and black currant compote notes that roll through, carried by warm humus, licorice root and singed alder notes. A muscular style, this is defined, with subtle, latent energy through the finish.
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.