Winemaker Notes
Intricate flavor intensity, with full body. Intense flavors of dark plum and cassis, with a thread of spices. Lush texture, with velvety tannins.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of flowers and jam with dark fruit. Medium to full body, a solid core of ripe fruit and flavors of spices and berries. Delicious finish. A flamboyant young wine. Drink or hold.
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Tasting Panel
Dark and lush with ripe plum and blackberry fruit; intense, balanced and rich with depth, style and finesse; juicy and balanced with ripe flavors and no herbaceousness; deep and long.
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Wine Enthusiast
Grippy with tannin and firm structure, this warm-vintage wine shows rich red cherry, currant and spicy clove flavors. Tinged with a touch of reduction, it gains depth and mouthfeel from its prominent oak.
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.