Winemaker Notes
The shortage of rainfall in 2021 led to high-stress growing conditions for ourvines. The resulting grapes were small and concentrated, giving us wines withgreat concentration, intensity, and structure. The nose of the 2021 PlumpJackEstate Cabernet Sauvignon leads with juicy fruits – black cherry, boysenberry,blackberry jam, and muddled mixed berries. The fruit is layered with fresh mint,sage, and iron filings. These aromas are complemented by warming spices,vanilla, and cocoa nib. The palate has a beautiful, velvety texture with plushtannin and an enduring finish with impressions of espresso and dark chocolate.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is rich, racy and super-expressive. Silky and deep, with notable resonance, the 2021 offers up dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol, new leather and licorice. Today, it is a very young wine in need of cellaring, but its potential is evident. Dollops of Petit Verdot and Malbec round out the blend. This should be positively stellar.
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Wine Spectator
A creamy, inviting, fruit-driven version, with waves of steeped cherry, boysenberry and blackberry rolling through the polished, frankly toasted finish. Drink now through 2035. 5,795 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reflects much of the property's 35 producing acres of Cabernet on the eastern side of the Oakville AVA. Tasted under screw cap (the winery offers both cork and screw-cap closures), the wine offers up notes of mocha, black cherries and brown sugar. It's full-bodied, with a slightly coarse but velvety texture, showing ample concentration but not much elegance at this young age.
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.