Scarlett McGah Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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Suckling
James
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James Suckling
Very ripe, but with great freshness, this has the prototypical cassis aroma of cabernet sauvignon with a hint of fresh herbs. On the palate it’s quite full-bodied, but with polish that makes it come off a bit lighter than it is. The full, supple tannins and ripeness make it soft and creamy at the finish. Drink now.
Other Vintages
2017-
Dunnuck
Jeb
The McGah family’s history in Northern California began over a century ago when E.W. McGah first put down roots in the San Francisco bay area. In the 1960s, he co-founded the Oakland Raiders football franchise, a proud legacy for which the family is still known today. E.W.’s stake in the Raiders was passed down to his to his son E.J. “Eddie” McGah in 1983. E.J. has a notable history in the sports world himself. At age 17, he made the cross-country trip from Oakland to Fenway Park and was signed by the Boston Red Sox. He continued his baseball career while serving in World War II and was one of the top five players nominated for the 14th District Naval MVP in 1945. After he was released from service in December 1945, he returned to the Boston Red Sox for two additional seasons, claiming a pennant title in 1946 with the team.
Sherratt Reicher, E.J.’s grandson, carried on the sports tradition and worked as a defensive assistant and scout for the Raiders before leaving in 2002 to form the Hudson Companies, a diversified enterprise that includes Scarlett Wines and McGah Family Vineyards among its portfolio. The McGah family maintained its ownership in the Raiders until 2005 and still takes great pride in being part of a living legacy. Today, Sherratt continues to oversee the family’s winemaking endeavors and infuses a strong sense of pride and tradition into all aspects of Scarlett Wines.
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.