Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Haystack, from a site on Atlas Peak, comes across as quite clenched and compact. While that is typical of mountain wines, especially in this vintage, most 2010s have a little more mid-palate pliancy. Frankly I am not sure the direction the 2010 is headed. I don’t see enough fruit to be able to stand up to the formidable tannins. Grilled herbs, licorice, game, scorched earth, dark red fruit and smoke are some of the notes that emerge from this reluctant, austere Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030.
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Wine Spectator
A chewy, gutsy style, for fans of gripping tannins. For all the muscle, this nevertheless features plenty of extracted dark berry, mocha, cedar and crushed rock nuances. Be patient. Best from 2015 through 2027.
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.