Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Dark and intense, with a solid, plush core of ripe, rich currant, black cherry, blackberry and light cedar notes. Jam-packed with flavors, it's an immense wine but beautifully balanced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The opaque black/purple-colored 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon (3,472 cases) offers sensational notes of black currants, minerals, smoke, licorice, and new oak. Full-bodied, with fabulous extract and power, the acidity, tannin, and potentially harsh components are well-meshed with the wine's personality. This is a large, ripe, impeccably balanced Cabernet Sauvignon that achieved 14.1% alcohol naturally. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020. This is a spectacular wine that must be tasted to be believed. Range: 91-93
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Wine Enthusiast
Not a wine that will please the world, but as a group we liked it a lot. Very forward and rustic, with cassis, a hint of mint, and also a boatload of oak. It has a cedary character on the palate, with chocolate and coffee accents. Mouth-coating in the finish; it could use a few years of down time to show its charms.
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.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.