Winemaker Notes
Big, ripe cherry pie, is accentuated with black cherry aromas and berry and camphor spice on the palate. A soft mid-palate with gripping Cabernet framework finishes with toasty oak and bright acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Put this Cabernet in the cellar for a while. It's dry and very tannic, yet dramatically rich in blackberries, currants, anise biscotti and smoky oak. A complex, classically structured young wine that should develop.
Cellar Selection
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Wine Spectator
An elegant, stylish wine, medium-to full-bodied, with a tight, firm, complex mix of black fruit, black licorice, cedar and floral scents, ending with supple, fine-grained tannins. More refined than this typically is.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family Vineyard is a more long-distance runner that will require some patience from purchasers. A deep plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a tight but promising nose of forest floor, brooding red and black fruits and earth. Careful coaxing is required to help the nuances emerge. Full-bodied, with elevated but sweet tannins, this 2008 is still somewhat monolithic, but is rich and promising. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following two decades.
Rating: 90+
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.