Winemaker Notes
At first a bit reticent and brooding, with a swirl and a breath of air the 2017 Staglin Cabernet awakens into an energetic cascade of red and black fruit deepened by dollops of earth, resinous woods and pinched herbs. An opening blast of tar inflected boysenberry and black cherry glides into a granular midpalate of star anise infused cassis and molasses-drizzled warm figs complexed with notes of camphor, seasoned alder and hint of hyssop that is surprisingly approachable, finely-grained and imminently enjoyable now.
Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of blueberry, blackcurrant, spearmint and mint aromas. Medium body and extremely fine tannins. Firm and toned. Really subtle and racy. Refined and focused. Restrained. This is very polished. Fresh. Want to drink it now, but a couple of years will help. Drink after 2022.
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Wine Spectator
This packs juicy blackberry and boysenberry flavors together, along with licorice, apple wood and tar notes. On the extracted side, but shows brambly energy throughout for balance. The fruit persists on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2032.
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.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.