Winemaker Notes
This 2017 Red Wine is dark purple-black in color with bright red fruit aromas and a touch of spice that springs from the glass. Raspberry, dark cherry and blueberry flavors are met with freshly cracked pepper and anise in this structured wine with a velvety and weighted mouthfeel. This wine has good acidity, firm but, juicy tannins and a lingering finish.
Blend: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A new wine from this team, which is headed up by Stephanie Putnam and consultant Philippe Melka, the 2017 Napa Valley Reserve Red Blend checks in as a kitchen sink blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Malbec. It offers a beautiful complexity and nuance as well as classy notes of blackcurrants, spice box, dried flowers, and leafy herbs. Medium-bodied, with solid Cabernet character, it's balanced, charming, and delicious.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Red Blend Reserve is made up of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah and 4% Malbec. It was aged in 24% new French oak and bottled unfiltered. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with flamboyant cedar chest, baking spices and licorice scents over a cassis and plum preserves core with a waft of dried flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with baked black berries with a finely grained frame, finishing with an invigorating lift.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Raymond Reserve Selection Red Wine is powerful and lasting. TASTING NOTES: This wine does not hold back; it brings a full force of black fruit and oak onto the palate. Pair it with a juicy, thick-sliced, grilled ribeye. (Tasted: June 6, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.