Winemaker Notes
Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This bold and fully ripe-tasting wine showers the palate with blackberries, blueberries, mint and cedar, showing satisfying depth, a full body and appropriately firm tannins. Made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, plus fractions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackcurrant, sliced plum, coriander and cardamom. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Nicely concentrated, without being overblown. Sweet spice and black fruit wash over the palate, with some black-tea notes coming through as well. I like the subtlety here. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, the 2020 Jayson Red Wine is gently herbal, with additional scents of ripe cherries, cassis and cedar. While it is a bit suppler than the Jayson Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vintage, this full-bodied effort is still slightly coarse in feel, with a drying astringency on the finish that may never fully resolve; enjoy this wine young. Best After 2023.
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.