Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A balanced and refined Snowden cab with blueberry, licorice and dark chocolate character. Medium to full body, firm and fresh tannins, and a crisp finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2013 Snowden The Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be a picture-perfect prototype from this excellent vintage. The wine exhibits black fruits and dust in the aroma and fills the palate with a satisfying firmness. The impressive finish of frisky red and black fruit invites a rib-eye of beef pairing. Drinks nicely now. (Tasted: August 29, 2016, San Francisco, CA)(Tasted: August 29, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
One for the cellar, this is solid, chunky, tannic and dense in all the right measures, with dried herb, cedar, dark berry and gravelly earth notes. Ends with a cleansing gravelly aftertaste. Best from 2018 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.