Winemaker Notes
Sourced entirely from the gravely sections of our estate, the 2016 Reserve Cabernet showcases what stunning flavors can come from their Rutherford vineyards. The aromatics burst from the glass with tremendous black current and cassis notes, as well as highlights of licorice, forest floor and black tea. Creamy, rich, and generous, this wine shows essences of plum, clove and cigar box which marry well with hints of dried herbs, licorice and tarragon. The compelling finish unfolds with breadth and a lovely tension between the wine’s mouthwatering acidity and pleasing tannins.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A juicy 2016 with plenty of chocolate, berry and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Full body and round, silky tannins and a delicious aftertaste. Give it a year or two. Try after 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
A 100% varietal, estate wine given nearly two years in French oak, much of it new, this wine is powerful, sultry and smooth, with succulent red fruit and fig at its fore. Tobacco, forest and cedar give it a savory, complementary complexity that works well to make it a cohesive wine. This will benefit from time in the bottle; enjoy best 2021–2026.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve has a deep purple-black color and scents of chocolate box, blackcurrants, tar and bay leaves with a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied and firm with a velvety texture, the palate gives good concentration and an earthy finish.
Rating: 91+
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.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.