Winemaker Notes
Laced through with beautiful dark blue shades, the 2021 from Napa's coolest Cabernet-growing region opens with soaring, complex aromatics: brambly blackberry, swirling with red currant, layers over fresh sage and thyme leaves, while dark cacao is edged with graphite. The palate is focused and bright with youthful energy, yet smooth with mouth coating, fine-grained tannins. Oyster-shell minerality adds sophisticated savory notes on a lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
With an attention- getting purple-black hue, this astound- ing red is silky but manages to eke out teeth-grabbing, dusty black-tea tannins. A host of flavors, among them graphite, black raspberry, violets, and Worces- tershire, sends a message of intensity. Earth and soil notes are apparent, sur- rounding a mineral component within the wine's deep core.
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James Suckling
Excellent complexity of blackcurrant, lead pencil and oyster. Some redwood and bark. Full to medium body with wonderfully crafted tannins that run the length of the wine with so much subtle and complex character of graphite and fruit. Structured and classic. Bordeaux blend with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot.
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Wine Enthusiast
With concentration and density, this Cabernet Sauvignon from the internationally known Paul Hobbs spins with flavors of dried tobacco, resinous woods and a blend of sweet, warmed spices on dark fruits.
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Wine Spectator
Dense and ripe but reserved in feel, with a cool cast iron note that adds a touch of restraint to the mix of blackberry and black currant preserve flavors. Juicy, with judicious toast through the tobacco and roasted alder–accented finish. Best from 2026 through 2036.
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.
Situated in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley in the Vaca range, the vineyards of the Coombsville AVA enjoy a long growing season mitigated by cool, San Pablo Bay fog.