Winemaker Notes
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petit Verdot, 20% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Powerful aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants with black licorice. Full-bodied, dense and intense. Yet, focused and structured. A big wine with formed tannin muscles.
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Wine Enthusiast
Combining 50% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Petit Verdot and 20% Malbec, all estate-grown, this has an inviting nose of toasted oak, cedar and pencil shavings. Dense, firm tannins wrap around a juicy midpalate of huge texture and complex flavor, a mix of clove, black currant and cocoa powder. This will do well with more time in the bottle; enjoy best 2020–2025. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
The core of fig, black currant and blackberry compote flavors is intense, with notes of espresso cream, dark tobacco and tar flowing underneath. A long licorice root accent stitches this up on the finish. A very muscular but well-defined wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2022 through 2035.
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.