Winemaker Notes
A stylish, ballerina of a wine: balanced and elegant, with fine tannins, refreshing natural acidity, beguiling perfume and the unmistakable profile of the Snowden terroir -- blueberries, violets, and wet stone.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The real stunner is the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. There are 1,600 cases of this prodigious wine. Dense ruby/purple to the rim with a smoky, roasted herb, creme de cassis, melted licorice, and espresso-scented nose with subtle pain grille in the background, it is full-bodied, fleshy, with a terrific multi-dimensional mouthfeel, well-integrated acidity, and ripe, silky tannin. This is great stuff, and a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon that may well turn out to be the best wine yet made at Snowden unless it is eclipsed by the very promising 2006 Reserve, which, of course, is not yet in bottle.
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.