Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2017 Oakville Estate Samantha's Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, rich and powerful. Black cherry, spice, blackberry jam, grilled herbs, smoke and licorice all build in a sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon built on textural density and breadth. The 2017 is a gorgeous wine, especially within the context of the vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Samantha’s is composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 22 months in French oak, 63% new. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to begin, soon unfurling to reveal pretty suggestions of lilacs, star anise, fragrant soil and Chinese five spice with a core of ripe black currants, boysenberries and black cherries plus a waft of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a great mid-palate chock-full of muscular fruit, supported by well-played, velvety tannins, finishing with a perfumed lift.
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.