Winemaker Notes
JML (Jung Min Lee – Secret Door owner) is the inspiration for all the Secret Door wines. This powerhouse second label wine from Secret Door is JML. It's a serious wine, and just glorious richness without being sweet or heavy. It is a statement about the founder but also signal that this wine is different from the two single vineyard primary Cabernet Sauvignon wines made for Secret Door.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This cool and composed red is well balanced, fresh and a bit restrained in texture while offering ample red and black fruit. Cherries, raspberries, savory herbs and blackcurrants on a moderately tannic texture.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In 2022, Secret Door's blended wine includes fruit from Sage Ridge and Caldwell, plus another site in the southern part of the valley. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon J•M•L revels in that cool, southern character, with violet, cassis and blueberry aromas, a medium to full-bodied, fresh feel on the palate and a cool, lingering finish. Barrel Sample: (92-94)
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.