Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Herb Lamb Vineyard was lost in the fires of 2020, so this will be the last vintage of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard. As with the Oakville Terraces release, it's a borderline perfect wine that has a captivating bouquet of cassis, blackberries, charcoal, lead pencil shavings, and even a hint of menthol. With full-bodied richness and depth, a concentrated, structured, yet seamless mouthfeel, and one great finish, it's another incredible wine from the team at Rivers-Marie. As with most 2019s, it has up-front appeal, yet my money is on a solid two decades of development.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A terrific effort from the last vintage prior to the vineyard burning in 2020, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard boasts scents of mint and bay leaf set against a backdrop of vibrant red berries. This is full-bodied and firmly tannic, tightly wound but with ample concentration and a long, mouthwatering finish. Best After 2025. Rating: 97+
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, but relying on purity rather than flash, this delivers a very enticing beam of cassis and violet laced gently with lightly singed apple wood, sweet bay leaf and licorice. The nicely focused finish has a subtle underlying hint of iron. A lengthy, poised wine.
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.