Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
You want soft, cult-style, wildly delicious Napa Cabernet? Here it is. The personal vision of Jeremy Nickel, of the Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel dynasty, this is a rich and delicious in blackberry compote, black currant, chocolate, anise and sweet oak flavors. Blended with a few drops of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, this bottling now establishes itself at the forefront of Napa's most important Cabernets.
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Tasting Panel
Barrel aging for 32 months in French oak and bottle aged for an additional eight months, this big tobacco-drenched Cab goes into blackberry espresso mode as it goes zero to full body in seconds. Dried smashed rhubarb makes tannins seem chewier as black pepper sneaks up on the blacker fruit. Burnt sugar and cherry pie (including the bitter pits) keeps it appealing to the sassy end.
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Wine & Spirits
Jeremy Nickel farms close to ten acres in Oakville, near where his late father, Gil, reestablished the Far Niente estate. He presents this wine in a sleek, plump and generous style, the wine's sweet black cherry fruit contrasted by layers of earthiness in the tannins. Firmly concentrated, this feels gracefully rounded and complete, a cabernet balanced for ten years of aging.
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.