Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Proprietary Red opens with clear, vibrant aromas of blueberry, blackberry, and black cherry, with intriguing nuances of cardamom, vanilla, toast and star anise that balance the intense dark fruit. A complex palate of deep blackberry and currant, with undertones of leather, is supported by firm, silky tannins. This wine honors its high elevation mountain vineyards with a rich, succulent body; a hint of dark chocolate mousse distinguishes the lengthy finish.
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Proprietary Red is a modern-day classic that has tons of crème de cassis, graphite, tobacco, and earth-driven aromas and flavors. It's deep, pure, layered, and elegant on the palate, with a great finish. Feel free to drink this beauty any time over the coming 20-25 years.
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James Suckling
A concentrated and essence-like nose of elderberries, blackcurrant compote, peppermint and forest floor, but also hot stones, pressed violets and fresh eucalyptus. So complete and complex on the palate, which is full-bodied and layered with super velvety tannins, wrapping the seamless fruit together. A mouthful of pure silk. Drink in 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Proprietary Red Wine gives up bold notes of fresh blackcurrants, black cherries and wild blueberries with hints of cigar box, tilled soil, dried bay leaves and smoked meats plus a hint of lavender. Medium-bodied and fantastically intense in the mouth, it has a wonderful core of muscular fruit and a firm, ripe, fine-grained frame to match, finishing very long.
Rating: 96+ -
Tasting Panel
This vintage—a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec—marks the winery’s 30th anniversary. Winemaker Bibiana González Rave vinifies each variety separately in more than 50 lots and ages the wine in 85% new French oak for 20 months. Fruit and acid play magnificently together, invigorating vivid aromas and flavors of blue fruit and white pepper. A layer of graphite keeps dark cherry and a vanilla-tinged toastiness in check. Leather, licorice, and blueberry lead the way to a juicy finish.
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Wine Spectator
This offers ripe and showy boysenberry, plum and cassis flavors that roll through atop the polished structure, ending with flashes of warm red licorice, roasted apple wood and sweet tobacco. Not shy, but plenty alluring for the fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now through 2030.
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.