Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Haystack Vineyard from Atlas Peak gets my top points. Made of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, this is a dense purple-colored wine with a serious aromatic expression filled with espresso roast, black chocolate, creme de cassis, and rose petals. Full-bodied, with beautiful texture, sweet tannin, and stunning concentration, this is a dense, opulent, blockbuster style of Cabernet Sauvignon that will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and last for 20-25 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
A wonderful Cabernet, rich and dry. The alcohol is fairly high, but in keeping with the wine's power. The fruity blackberry and currant flavors are balanced by refreshingly earthy notes of olives and sweet herbs. Should develop through 2013.
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.