Winemaker Notes
Aromatically the wine has bright, ripe red fruits, dried herbs, pencil shavings and fine cocoa powder. The palate has layers of textured tannins, with notes of dried herbs and damp topsoil. This is Ramey's Napa Valley "reserve" bottling from the best lots in a given vintage, made up of almost three fourth's Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining Cabernet Franc with a very small amount of Malbec. Once harvested the grapes undergo native yeast fermentation as well as full malolactic fermentation. The wine ages sur lies with bi-monthly bâtonnage. The wine then ages for 24 months in 50% new French oak barrels (Taransaud) before being bottled unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Ramey Annum Cabernet is bold and beautifully persistent on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of dense black fruits and complementary oaky notes. Pair it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: May 11, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
This elegant, textbook Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 10% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. It does not overpower with ripeness but satisfies with a great blend of fruity, herbal and oaky influences on a medium body with velvety, bracing tannins. Aromas of black cherries, black olives and grilled herbs lead to complex savoryfruity flavors.
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.