Winemaker Notes
The Ghost Block vineyard is a unicorn of sorts, being a ‘mountain’ vineyard on the valley floor. The old vines of Ghost Block sit on the side of Yountville Hill—a mountaintop that formerly resided high above the Stags Leap District in the Vaca Mountains. Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon interprets this soil construct with soft, plush tannins and friendly, bright acidity. She is both generous and poised. Down-valley cool mornings add a touch of sandalwood and rose petal to the varietal traits of cherry and cassis.
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
The aromas are wild and sauvage, with notes of tanned leather, tobacco, sage, bay laurel and spearmint, layered over dark berry fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, this wine may not have the same nervy tension as Pilcrow’s Coombsville or Mt. Veeder bottlings, but it delivers impressive density and a savoury appeal, with emerging blue fruits and violet florals. There’s a wonderful plumpness and soft richness to the fruit, accented by warming spices. Generous from nose to finish, it’s a beautifully built wine that shows none of the stress of a warm vintage. Balanced, with great presence and sheer drinkability, it’s a wine to enjoy now while the Coombsville and Mt. Veeder cuvées continue to slumber in the cellar. From a CCOF organically farmed vineyard that sits on the lower slopes of “Yountville Hill,” a former mountain peak that once towered above the Stags Leap District. The wine is part of Pilcrow’s portfolio, which launched with the 2014 vintage. The label is co-owned by Sara and Jonah Beer.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Atypically ripe and plummy, Pilcrow's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Ghost Block also comes with a slightly smoky, bacony note and oodles of cassis and black cherries. Medium- to full-bodied, it's ripe and velvety, with a softly tannic finish. It's a bit of an outlier in terms of Pilcrow's preferred style, but it drinks very well.
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.
One of Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.