Winemaker Notes
After 22 months in barrel, this wine has a rich garnet color, and classic Cabernet aromas with leather, cocoa, and spice. With touches of chestnut and nutmeg, it comes off clean. Consistent with flavors that continue the aromatics, with ample tannin and body to age beyond the next decade, but delightful now with anything barbequed and rich after decanting to add oxygen to allow it to open up.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
This smallproduction gem aged in (75% new) French oak for almost two years. Chewy tannins allow an undercoat of fennel, slate, and spiced black cherry to intermingle with teethgrabbing plum skin and walnut. Leatherwrapped dark fruits are lifted by black tea and earth on the shadowy finish. Still youthful, with plenty of time to show its best self.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Hints of menthol accent black cherries and vanilla that are joined by savory notes of black olives on the nose of the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon. Much like the 2021 version I tasted alongside, it's medium to full-bodied, smooth and easy to drink, not overly extracted or tannic but balanced and reasonably elegant.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Patent Wines Cabernet Sauvignon represents the valley well. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of sandalwood, oaky notes, black fruits, and berries from red to black. Enjoy it with grilled lamb kebabs. (Tasted: June 27, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
Patent Wines was formed to create exceptional wines of distinction & excellence from site specific vineyards within an AVA. From lengthy experience and know-how, paired with Bordeaux best practices honed over 45 harvests, they hand produce authentic wines. Patent Wines is the brainchild of two California wine industry veterans, Tom Rinaldi and Eric Risch. Rinaldi was the founding winemaker at Duckhorn, a role he filled from 1978 to 2000 during which he brought the merlot grape and the Duckhorn name to worldwide attention. He went on to establish and nurture such wineries as Pellet Estate, Provenance and Hewitt. Risch is an entrepreneur and marketing genius who turned to winery development and managing with Pellet Estate. Both Tom and Eric were initially going to keep a few of their best quality barrels for personal consumption and to share with friends and family. However, in 2020, both men had plenty of downtime and decided to partner and create very limited production wines focused either on specific vineyard sites or AVA’s. This lead to the creation of Patent wines. Their initial releases have all received high praise.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.