Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon d'Adamo Vineyard comes from a site in the foothills of Atlas Peak and is described as her most hedonistic wine by Monticelli. I can’t disagree, yet it also offers plenty of intellectual fireworks as well and reveals a deep purple color and sexy notes of black fruits, licorice, new saddle leather, and assorted herbs, earthy notes. With a plush, rounded, sumptuous texture, sweet tannins, and terrific overall balance, it’s another remarkable wine from this estate that can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for two decades or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 20 months in 68% new French oak from a vineyard located in the Atlas Peak foothills, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon d'Adamo Vineyard is deep purple-black in color and gives intense notes of crushed blueberries, black cherries and cassis with touches of licorice, lavender, black soil and iron ore. The palate is full-bodied, firm and grainy with wonderfully firm, ripe tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and layered. 567 cases produced.
Rating: 95+ -
James Suckling
Burnt blackberries, dried mulberries, cassis and eucalyptus oil. Full body, round tannins, plenty of fruit and a chewy finish. Drink in 2023.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.