Winemaker Notes
Intensely fragrant with aromas of crème de cassis, graphite and notes of lavender and bay. Rich flavors of blackberry and huckleberry merge with earthiness and minerality. Tannins are generous and well-developed.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I was also able to taste a bottle of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which now at age 10 has shed some baby fat yet still has a youthful, ripe, sexy personality. Offering up lots of black currants, tobacco, graphite, and leafy herb notes, it’s full-bodied, has sweet tannins, and is overall a rich, powerful wine that’s just now at the early stages of its drink window.
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Wine Spectator
Rich, supple and graceful, with firm tannins supporting ripe plum, currant, blackberry and spice. Full-bodied, but not heavy or dense. Pleasantly complex and engaging. Drink now through 2022. 7,715 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
A very fine Cabernet, fancy and elegant in the mouth, although the tannins are tough and the wine wants some time. Your first impression is of astringency, a combination both of grape skin and oak tannins. Next, the blockbuster core of blackberries and black currants hits, leading to a long, spicy finish. Despite high alcohol, this seems like a wine that should develop over the next ten years.
Cellar Selection
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.