Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
It would be easy enough to argue that there is a little too much creamy oak at play here, but it is still secondary to a full serving of very deep, very well-focused, keenly curranty Cabernet fruit, and the wine’s adjuncts of woodsy spice, briar and loam only add to its convincing varietal credentials. It is still a bit unruly in terms of tactile polish, and it comes with more than a few tannic edges and acidy angles, but it commits no sins that cannot be pardoned with age, and it deserves to be hidden away for at least five or six years.
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.