Winemaker Notes
Relic Wine Cellars' treasured monopole, La Place Vineyard, has stepped up its game in 2017! The second vintage of this wine displays exotic, riper aromatics, with denser fruit and a more layered texture. Aromatics of ripest plum, exotic blackberry, dark chocolate, bright red raspberry notes and exotic spices fill the glass. The palate features this vineyard’s trademark silky tannins, but the overall texture is one of depth and power, leading to a soaring, long finish. Truly a wine of place, like no other. The winery's beloved unicorn. Low yields were on display here with just 108 cases produced from 4 barrels.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon La Place comes from a tiny vineyard not far from Hourglass and is all Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in neutral oak before aging in new oak. It has a beautiful, full-bodied, elegant profile as well as lots of black cherry and currant fruits intermixed with notes of tobacco, gravelly earth, and lead pencil. It will drink well for 15+ years or more.
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Wine Spectator
Features an overt beam of licorice, plum sauce and cherry compote flavors, with polished edges and dashes of toasted vanilla, herb and graphite on the finish. Very solid. Approachable, but there's no rush. Drink now through 2029.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 100% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon La Place Vineyard features fragrant cassis, baked plums and dried mulberries with hints of fallen leaves, dried herbs and tobacco. Big, rich, full-bodied and firmly textured with a fair bit of chewiness, it has a long earth and spice-laced finish.
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.