Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Its deep plum/purple color reveals only a touch of lightening at the edge. A glorious perfume offers up aromas of plums, figs, creme de cassis, smoke, hickory spice, and high quality cigar tobacco. In a blind tasting, this California Cabernet could easily be mistaken for a great Pauillac given its structure, density, richness, and perfume. This 1994 is just beginning to move into its adolescence. Even though it has 20-25 years of life remaining, it is approachable. It is a monumental Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the valley’s legacy producers.
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Vinous
The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is one of the first Togni wines I tasted with some age, where I started to see how these wines develop in bottle. It remains super expressive, with tons of graphite, savory and mineral character. The 1994 is not quite as opulent as some wines, but rather a Cabernet built on energy and vertical drive.
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Wine Spectator
Strikes a nice balance between toasty, buttery oak and ripe cherry and plum flavors. It's not as big or as intense as this wine can be, but it still packs in enough racy Cabernet flavor to hold your interest. Tannic, but balanced.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.