Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Titus Family Estate Reserve embodies the depth, concentration, and beauty of our Ehlers Lane vineyard with grace and elegance. A core of Blueberry, black currant, mulberry and warm coffee are rounded out with hints of lilac and maduro wrapped cigar. Inkiness in the glass gives the wine depth and length with rich finely knit tannins melting to chocolate pot de crème intensity. Crème de cassis and berry tart notes yield to espresso and rich oak on the finish as the palate endures.
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Petit Verdot, 3.5% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Family Estate Reserve is based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec. It's a touch more focused and linear compared to the Imperatus, but I love the purity and precision in its cr me de cassis, espresso, classy oak, and spicy, floral aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins and a seamless, layered mouthfeel, as well as ripe tannins, it's going to benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar and evolve for 15 years with ease.
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James Suckling
Aromas of red plums and ripe blackberries with sweet spices, orange peel, walnuts and wet earth. Full body. Beautiful texture and delicious fruit here with very fine, nicely integrated tannins. Compact and solid with a long finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The inky-hued 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Family Estate Reserve utilizes fruit from a rocky outcropping off Ehler's Lane planted predominantly to clone 337, with a touch of Petit Verdot. Aged in 100% new French oak, it offers up classy notes of pencil shavings, vanilla and mocha alongside black cherries and cassis. Full-bodied and concentrated, it's velvety in texture, with a long, harmonious finish framed by softly dusty tannins. Approachable now, it should be better in five years or so and live for 20 or more.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Rich and full bodied, this Cabernet Sauvignon blend combines the deeper flavors of Petit Verdot and Malbec to offer aromas of espresso followed by generous flavors of spiced plums and toasted oak spices. The wine is substantial, with velvety tannins and a long finish.
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Wine Spectator
An expressive red, with a violet note leading off, followed by plum, boysenberry and acai fruit flavors that roll through nicely. Polished finish. Drink now through 2036. 1,650 cases made.
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.