Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon unveils captivating aromas of ripe raspberries, warm nutmeg, and freshly brewed espresso. On the palate, it offers a lavish and velvety texture, revealing layers of dark chocolate, spiced cinnamon, cool mint, and delicate oak nuances that elegantly persist. This wine is both alluring and impeccably balanced, leaving a lasting impression of depth and refinement.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
With tobacco Raymond worn leather, and graphite at the forefront, this is a luminously elegant specimen of concentrated bliss: From its blackberry core to well-matched flavors of espresso and wild cherry, it delivers a deliciously long-lasting experience.
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Decanter
The 2022 Raymond Reserve is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 19 months in 31% new small French oak barrels from Ermitage, Seguin Moreau, Taransaud, and Saury, it was bottled unfiltered in August 2024. Draped in its signature red velvet label, the Reserve bottling is the most structured and balanced wine in the lineup, standing on equal footing with the Generations bottling in 2022. It delivers a panoply of red, black, and blue-toned fruit, layered with dried herbs and anchored by a firm, dusty tannic backbone. Notes of salted dark chocolate and graphite minerality frame the finish, adding depth and complexity to the overall profile.
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James Suckling
Easy-sipping, full-bodied and almost sweet in flavor. This blend of grapes from around Napa Valley gives a broad, generous texture and lush, ripe red and black fruit. 11% of cabernet franc adds a little tannin to balance the sunny fruit 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.