Winemaker Notes
Big and Inviting, the 2016 Coeur de Vigne flashes hints of cedar, Bing cherry, cocoa powder and baking spices. There is a seamless arch to the wine that begins on entry and carries the experience all the way through to the finish. Velvety tannins are well integrated and sweet ripe plums flavors combine with a savory character to give the wine’s texture weight and density.
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 2% Petite Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
In the same ballpark, the 2016 Estate Coeur De Vigne checks in as 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, all of which spent 21 months in 60% new French oak. As with the Cabernet, it has an old school, textbook bouquet of green herbs, ripe tobacco, cedar, and new leather. It has a touch of green, but it’s varietal, not vegetal. More chocolate and black fruits emerge with time in the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a tight, backward vibe on the palate, and outstanding length. Rating: 92(+)
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Sullivan Rutherford Estate Coeur de Vigne spins a tale between the Old and New World. TASTING NOTES: This wine is attractive with its showing of savory spices, black fruit, and oak. Pair it with braised meat dishes. (Tasted: March 6, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.