Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are 5,180 six-bottle cases of the 2012 Padrone Proprietary Red Wine. This is a fabulous wine, meant to evolve over three decades. It offers up notes of charcoal, scorched earth, blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate and a touch of espresso. A wine of great intensity, full-bodied opulence and a multilayered mouthfeel, this is a formidably endowed, serious Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine from vineyards with some of the best fruit on the estate. Drink it over the next 30 years.
Rating: 97+ -
Tasting Panel
Grown in the classic 2012 vintage, this unfiltered red (91% Cabernet Sauvignon & 9% Cabernet Franc) is dedicated to winery founder Ray Signorello, Sr. Grapes are grown on a rocky hillside vineyard along the Silverado Trail sourced from one of the oldest blocks on the estate. Big notes of grilled meat and black olive on the nose leads to an earthy, silken road of melted dark chocolate, blackberry, dusty rose petals and a startling whoosh of creaminess that coats the mouth with plums and aplomb.
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.