Winemaker Notes
The first impression on the nose is the tremendous depth that the wine shows, drawing you in, enticing you to linger. The bouquet is already complex, layered, multi-layered in fact, with aromatics that appear, and then mysteriously disappear, to be replaced by yet another intriguing scent. This is the hallmark of quality - complex, elusive, and layered. Dark chocolate, espresso, ripe cherry, black olive, vanilla, a gravelly note, a whiff of cedar appears fleetingly, floral notes of violets, and then the mélange of aromatic changes yet again. It's ethereal. Hold the glass under your nose for a minute at a time, inhale slowly and deeply.
The wine enters the palate, and is marked by a silky smoothness in the texture and a mid to full weight, unusual for a Napa Cabernet, and a trait more typically found in AC Margaux. The tannins are so fine, so soft, yet with a subtle firmness just on the finish which reminds you that structure can be elegant, yet long lasting.
The dryness is sublime, avoiding any impression of sweetness, or over ripeness. This was very important to us. The palate is strikingly complex, primarily marked by flavors of mocha, espresso, black olive and dark cherry notes that cover and coat all areas of the mouth. When you aerate the wine in your mouth
repeatedly you’ll find that yet another element, another flavor, appears.
But it’s the finish that is the most unique quality of the wine.
After swallowing the breath dances. It feels like an operatic symphony of flavors, and just when you think they will subside, they build. They strengthen. And it feels like a concert at the Bordeaux Opera House, harmonious, balanced, refined, complex, with personality and character, both from the vineyard site, and from the people who made it.
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.