Winemaker Notes
Our 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon artfully combines the classic elegance of the old world and the ripe fruit of California. It displays an opaque garnet color with a bouquet driven by fruity aromas of blackberry liqueur and hoisin sauce. It also offers the savory components of sage and molasses. These complex aromatics are complemented by sandalwood and nutmeg characteristics indicative of American oak aging. This is a well-structured wine with a compact and rich mid-palate buttressed by silky tannin's and generous acidity. Given proper cellaring, this wine will provide drinking pleasure through 2037.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
An excellent performance from a wonderful growing season, the 2012 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates a beautiful synergy between a top winery and Mother Nature. The wine offers abundant ripe red and black fruit, a pleasing suggestion of coconut from the oak, and a long and luxurious finish. (Tasted: January 11, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Spectator
Notes of dill, herb and vanilla bean-scented oak lead to an elegant array of dark berry, herb, cedar, gravelly earth and underbrush flavors. The tannins cling a bit, but this is an enjoyable and approachable youngster, with a track record for aging. Drink now through 2028.
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.