Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Made in a very ripe, almost in-your-face style, with flamboyant blackberry pie and cassis flavors veering into rum-soaked raisins and prunes. Defines size and power rather than elegance; a brawny, slightly hot wine that nonetheless is compellingly good to drink.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown (76% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, firm tannin, and an enticing nose of black currants, espresso roast, charcoal, and cedar wood. Although closed, it is dense, promising, and ageworthy, with an upside potential of 12-15 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.