Winemaker Notes
The 2008 Seven Stones is a structured wine of complex, red fruit flavors, ample
structure and substantial tannin. It carries a mineral “kick,” and a very long finish. The wine is evolving at a slow, steady pace and needs a few more years before it becomes fully approachable. The 2008 is a masculine Cabernet with flavors that are “stacked and packed.” If you wish to drink this wine, it is recommended that it spends three to four hours in a decanter. Steven Stones thinks the 08’ will have a very long life ahead and will gain elegance and definition with a few more years in your cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is not far behind. The tannins are slightly firmer and the wine is very full-bodied with pure black currants, a more muscular style, and a big, rich, elegant, promising personality. The 2008 will benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar and should last for two decades.
There are a lot of beautiful, Shangri-La-like places in Napa Valley, but it hard to find a more striking setting than the Seven Stones winery high in the mountains above the Meadowood Resort. Proprietors Ronald and Anita Wornick have secured Aaron Pott as their consulting winemaker and the wines, although limited in availability (250 cases produced), are very impressive. They are made from Cabernet Sauvignon fruit grown on the rocky hillsides overlooking St. Helena and the Oakville Corridor to the south.
Rating: 94+
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Wine Spectator
Combines ripe, fleshy, concentrated blueberry, plum, anise, mineral, dried herb, black licorice and tea in a full-bodied, elegant style. Firms on the finish.
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.