Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
The blockbuster 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Artefact was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak and comes completely from the Kenefick Ranch, which is adjacent to the Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga. Opaque purple and full-bodied, it offers up notes of pen ink, graphite, blackberry and cassis as well as some background toasty oak, baking spice box, licorice, and some loamy soil undertones. This big, rich, intense wine should hit its prime in about 4-5 years and last 20 or more. Another long-aging wine, and one with probably 50 years of evolution ahead of it.
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.