Winemaker Notes
The 2016 vintage was a classic growing season in the Napa Valley, giving us an elegant, balanced Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep plum in color, the 2016 Tarot greets with you with light notes of incense and musk on the nose. As it sits in your glass, it opens up with notes of fig, cacao nibs and black currants. The wine dances across your palate with notes of dark black cherry, dusty rose and marion berry pie finishing with a note of wild berry. The bright acidity leads to a long, lingering finish. Pair with Crispy Pork Belly or Duck Confit. COMPOSITION 85% Cabernet Sauvignon (clones 337 & 4), 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Tarot Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 34% new French oak. Very deep purple-black in color, it gives up gregarious notions of blackcurrant pastilles, blueberry compote and blackberry pie with hints of wood smoke, cedar chest, menthol and fragrant soil. Full, concentrated and with a lovely structure of firm, very fine-grained tannins, it has great freshness and depth
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James Suckling
A soft, fruity red with blackberries, blueberries and chocolate. Spices, such as cinnamon and cardamon. Medium to full body. Round tannins. Drink now or hold.
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.