Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a lovely dusty character with currant, tile and sweet tobacco. Full body, chewy and beautiful tannins. Wonderful austerity yet softness. Flavorful finish. Delicious now but shows finesse and length. Better in 2019 but so gorgeous already.
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Wine Enthusiast
This grippy Cab exhibits the power of the 10% Petit Verdot in the blend, softened by 6% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Cassis and raspberry provide a fruity core around lush, tight tannins and a black pepper-seasoned finish. Full bodied, it remains elegant in the glass.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2012 Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon—built from concentrated and sometimes forceful mountain-grown fruit—shows excellent power and richness on the palate. The wine's black fruit, balanced with just enough oak, makes it an outstanding match with a bone-in, ribeye of beef. (Tasted: January 12, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.