Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a wonderful balance to it. It shows intense aromas of flowers and dark fruits with hints of incense and sandalwood. Changes all the time. Then goes to currants and flowers. Full and firm with a wonderful core of silky tannins that are polished and beautiful. Dark chocolate, vanilla bean, and dark fruit. Solid and firm. You could easy drink this but it has structure for aging as well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The estate’s 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon bursts from the glass with considerable richness and pure depth. The spring frosts lowered yields noticeably resulting in a wine that is a bit darker and heavier than is the norm. The rest of the vintage was on the warmer side, which gave the wine much of its ripeness and body. Mocha, espresso, licorice and sweet spices all wrap around the palate. Next to the other wines in this tasting, the 2008 is a bit burly. The mind-bending finesse of the best vintages is missing. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028.
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Wine Spectator
Offers pure, ripe, perfumed aromas, à la Margaux, with tasty plum, blackberry, cherry and spice in an elegant, understated style. Impressive for its delicacy, finesse, detail and persistence. Drink now through 2022. 680 cases made.
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.