Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a beautiful sensation of perfectly ripe merlot with coffee, plum and spice aromas and flavors. Medium body, fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Orange-peel undertone. Cooler. Crunchy intensity. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet sauvignon.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Tempest is terrific, with a dense purple hue as well as loads of ripe black cherry and jammy blueberry fruits supported by notes of chocolate, tobacco, and Asian spice aromas and flavors. This full-bodied beauty has a round, lush, sexy texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and it has another 15 years of prime drinking ahead of it. Best After 2021
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.