Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Proprietary Red The Falstaff is a Cabernet Franc-dominated wine that comes from the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga and two Oakville vineyards, the Weitz and Fortuna. The 2012 is composed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. A spectacular effort, it offers up abundant aromas of lead pencil shavings, melted chocolate, blackberries, cassis, spring flowers and an underpinning of forest notes. Super-rich, full-bodied, opulent and multidimensional, this majestic, extravagantly perfumed wine is best drunk over the next 10-15+ years, although I would not be surprised to see it last a lot longer.
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.