Winemaker Notes
This Bordeaux-style blend stands up to rich fare...think Filet Mignon or roasted rack of lamb. But its natural elegance also gives it an affinity for more subtle dishes such as roasted chicken or pasta Bolognese.
The 2013 vintage marks Robert Craig's 20th anniversary of producing Affinity Cabernet Sauvignon. It is also the first vintage of Affinity bottled as a 100% estate grown, single vineyard selection from the winery's La Londe Vineyard. The primary mission at Robert Craig Winery is to produce wines that feature pure site expression. While the soul of Affiinity has always come from La Londe Vineyard, the winery now is able to capture the essential, focused identity of this extraordinary site.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The blueberry and blackberry aromas are prevailing here with a spearmint and fresh herb undertone. Full body, chewy tannins and slightly austere now, but will be even more flavor and beautiful in a year or two.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The ultra-rich 2013 Robert Craig Affinity is simply outstanding—a description of the wine would almost be anticlimactic. Everything seems to be in perfect synchronization—ripe fruit, clean earth, dried leaves and a light touch of oak. This seamless wine is already drinking quite nicely, but give it time and the rewards will come. (Tasted: August 4, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity has an inky purple color that is much more saturated than its two predecessors. This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc aged 18 months in 80% new French oak. This is a richer style of wine with much greater density, power and intensity. Opaque to the rim with more tannin, extract and muscle, this is more of a long-term proposition, so I'd suggest giving it 2-4 years of bottle age, and drinking it over the following 20 years.
Rating: 93+
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.