Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon that gets 20% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon offers tons of upfront, ripe, sexy blackberry and blueberry fruit plus spice and licorice aromas. Ripe, rounded and nicely textured, drink it over the coming 3-4 years. It's another smoking value from Tensley.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The expressive, fruit-driven 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Joey Tensley reveals notes of ripe plums, cassis and a delicate touch of creamy oak. On the palate, it's juicy and medium-bodied, with bright acids and a pure finish. Enjoy it in the next year or two.
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 largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.