Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color, this exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon opens with fragrant notes of blackberry, bay leaf, coffee, and chocolate. The palate is supported by velvety tannins and features flavors that tend more towards red cherries and baking spices.
This elegant wine pairs best with fine cuts of beef or venison. A simple compliment to the meat can be fresh tarragon or black pepper. Other favorite recipes include wine braised short ribs and grilled beef tenderloin with a mushroom sauce. For something unexpected and delightful, pair this wine with rare Ahi tuna in a peppercorn crust.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Blended with small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot, this is an impressive wine well worthy of the producer's 50th anniversary. Currant, boysenberry and light handfuls of spice are wrapped in soft, polished tannins that offer an elegant length.
Editors' Choice
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Decanter
Lack of rain combined with a warm summer resulted in one of the earliest harvests this estate has seen, starting September 5. Smaller grapes than usual made this a very structured, concentrated wine, with plenty of tannin, savoury and spicy flavours, alongside aromas of bay leaves. The blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, and 4% Malbec — aged for 18 months in a mix of French, American and Hungarian oak — marks a new level of quality.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2015 Trefethen Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a complete wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine delivers excellent red and black fruit aromas and flavors. Enjoy it with duck confit. (Tasted: February 21, 2020, St. Helena, CA)
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James Suckling
A fresher, welcome expression for 2015 that shows notes of Thai basil, chilli, herb, cedar, elderberries and crushed violets. Really nicely composed with vibrant acidity, linear, firm tannins and a chewy finish. Drink now or hold.
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.