Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch might be the best Napa Valley Cabernet out there under $100. Based on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it offers a full-bodied, round, sexy style that can be difficult to find in a vintage like 2017. Deep purple-hued, with lots of blue fruits, candied orange, and violet notes, it builds beautifully on the palate, showing ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and a balanced, seamless mouthfeel. Count me impressed with this Cabernet, which comes close to rivaling the 2016. Drink bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years.
-
James Suckling
A big, rich red with lots of crushed berries and chocolate. Blueberry undertones. Transparent. Full-bodied, powerful and intense. Plus loads of fruit. Yet, there’s an austere form to it. Drink after 2021.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This vineyard sits between Dalla Valle and Ovid. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple colored and features notions of Morello cherries, wild blueberries and cassis with touches of red currant jelly, rose hip tea, dusty soil and bouquet garni. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing and elegantly styled, with soft, approachable tannins and a perfumed finish.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.