Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Black Magic is an extremely focused, tension-filled wine. In this vintage, it is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with a small portion of Cabernet Franc. The profile is dark, deep, and opulent with notes of black currant, black cherries, black licorice, anise, and Mexican chocolate. This will be one of the longest-lived Black Magics because of its immense structure and the impenetrable nature of its mid palate. The long and seamless finish trails off to a peacock tail of graphite and notes of mint. Try not to fall under this wine's spell...
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2021 Black Magic (a selection of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, aged in 90% new barrels) is a bigger, richer, straight-up massive wine that nevertheless stays balanced, pure, and even elegant. Cr me de cassis, lead pencil shavings, scorched earth, espresso, and classy oak all define this majestic, full-bodied, concentrated 2021. It has the vintage's pure, focused, structured style, a stacked mid-palate, and an incredible finish. This super-rich yet flawless beauty is a legend in the making.
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James Suckling
Blackcurrants, blueberries and ink. Crushed porcelain. Graphite dust. The palate is full but hemmed-in and compacted with incredible length. The polish is something else. The tannins melt into the wine at the end. Such impressive quality here. A benchmark. Made from predominantly cabernet sauvignon with a small portion of cabernet franc co-fermented. 150 cases. Crazy to drink this now but you could. But hold it for five years, minimum.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine is a barrel selection, made, according to owner Tor Kenward, to answer the question, "Can we get the essence of the vintage into this wine?" In the case of the 2021 Black Magic, that means scents of mocha accenting black cherries, cassis and earthy loam. It's impressively full-bodied and concentrated, tannic but ripe, with a long finish and softly dusty tannins. Rating: 98+
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.