Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Tight as nails right out of the bottle, this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend takes some time in the glass to breathe and open. After a while, it gives off an intense, pleasurable black-currant note. Feels rich, smooth and oaky in the mouth, with a hard jacket of tannins. Should glide through the next 5–6 years, but it can be consumed now.
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Wine & Spirits
Black cherry, tobacco and eucalyptus scents introduce this blend of cabernet sauvignon (72 percent) with merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc. It's lean and refined, with a deep well of fruit that lasts beyond the relatively light tannins. Air brings out a milk chocolate character in those tannins, a contemporary style for a steakhouse.
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.