Winemaker Notes
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Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The sensational 2006 Reserve Claret boasts an opaque purple color in addition to sweet notes of creme de cassis, flowers, charcoal, graphite, and espresso roast. Full-bodied with layers of depth and richness, moderately high but sweet tannins, and a terrific finish, it will be even better with 3-4 years of bottle age, and should last two decades.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Merlot that dominates this wine shows in the wealth of red and black cherries, but one-third Cabernet Sauvignon contributes its telltale signature of blackberries and black currants. New oak, however, dominates in the wine's youth, giving caramel and roasted marshmallow flavors. Very fine, very concentrated and intense, and in need of cellaring. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Balances finesse with great structure, offering bold aromas of currant and espresso, with complex, layered flavors of black cherry, bittersweet chocolate and toasty oak. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.