Winemaker Notes
Selected from their finest vineyards, the 2001 Napa Valley Reserve captures the complex flavor profile and exquisite balance of the Oakville bench region. The wine was handcrafted in our new To Kalon Fermentation Cellar with traditional techniques, including hand-sorting of the clusters, gravity-flow movement of the must and wine, and fermentation in a traditional oak tank. Sixteen months of aging in new French oak château barrels added vanilla and toasty oak accents. To retain fully this wine's enormous depth, texture and length of finish, we bottled it without fining or filtration.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The finest Private Reserve since the 1991, 1990, and 1987, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is extraordinary. There are 8,000 cases of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and small dollops of Merlot as well as Petit Verdot. A perfume of smoke, camphor, creme de cassis, cedar, and fruitcake is accompanied by a gentle giant of a wine. Powerful and impeccably balanced, with outstanding concentration, well-integrated wood, acidity, and tannin, and a long, nearly 60-second finish, this saturated ruby/purple-hued effort is a prodigious example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+.
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Wine Enthusiast
Contains 67% To Kalon Vineyard fruit. Still a baby. Closed, brooding, very deep, very dry. Fabulous cassis fruit, a huge wine. Lots of delicious, sweet new oak. Superbly balanced, impressive. Drinkable now, but best 2010–2020.
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Wine Spectator
A superrich, polished, multifaceted wine, with layers of ripe currant, blackberry, herb, cedar, sage and a touch of pencil lead. Deep and concentrated, the flavors pour through on the finish, and while the tannins are chewy, the texture is supple. Best from 2005 through 2012.
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.