Winemaker Notes
92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet franc, 5% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
John and Emma Salvestrin purchased part of the Crane Ranch in St. Helena in 1932, the vineyard now farmed by third-generation Rich Salvestrin. This tastes like an old-school Napa Valley wine, savory and skinny, with fresh blackberry flavors and tannins that fall somewhere between iron filings and black-cherry skins. It has focus and form, the kind of wine that should age with grace.
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James Suckling
A linear and fresh red with plum and currant aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, pretty and delicious fruit and ripe tannins. Drink now.
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.