Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Having spent only 12 months in barrel, this vintage of the producer's Claret is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with 34% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 3% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It opens in exotic floral and spice, with a juicy midpalate around soft, rounded tannins and smoothly integrated oak. It provides extraordinary value for the quality.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are nearly 1,200 cases of the 2010 Claret, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah and 2% Petit Verdot. It offers a big, fragrant bouquet of creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings and black currants, silky flavors, medium to full body, and a plush, round, generous style
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.