Winemaker Notes
This Oakville Cabernet is a perfect example of why Oakville is the premiere appellation for Cabernet in the Napa Valley. This wine checks all the Cabernet boxes, with plentiful fruit, a touch of forest floor, and a hint of graphite. The fruit is a balance of red, black and blue, with blackberry, black cherry, blueberry compote and an iron/sanguine minerality. Baking spices of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg add an extra dusting of complexity. A great expression of this renowned appellation.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very structured, with firm tannins and a feeling of tension that supports the ample dark fruit flavors. Dusky, spicy oak aromas with macerated cherries, blackcurrants and red cherries on the palate. Sourced from the eastern side of Oakville. Full-bodied.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is terrific, and it's an appellation release in 2022 that's well worth your time and money. A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc, it delivers perfumed, ripe blue fruits, violets, sappy herbs, and a touch of leather in its medium to full-bodied, forward, juicy, front end-loaded style. It's going to keep for 8-10 years, but there's no need to hold off.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Already bottled at the time I tasted it in February, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is a blend of two sites this year. Mixed red and black cherries are accented by hints of cedar and mint on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is slightly open-knit. Approachable and easy-to-drink, it's a fine introduction to the Tor lineup.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.