Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: If your palate needs to discover a new Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, then, the 2013 Stardust is the one for you. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers a complete experience in a bottle. Its aromas and flavors of black fruit, earthy dust, and oak accents last long on the palate. Pair it with a double thick cut of rare prime rib. (Tasted: April 23, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Substance and solidity are the hallmarks of this dense, yet nicely rounded, full-bodied opus, and, while not at all lacking in varietal authority or structure, it shows a fair bit of polish and is as mannerly as it is rich. It is supple and fleshy in feel with exceptionally fine palatal length, and its neatly placed tannins provide a proper sense of Cabernet grip without imparting so much astringency that its enjoyment hinges on a long stay in the cellar. We would not pour it now, but neither would we wait for ten years, and it promises to make lovely drinking some three to five hence.
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.