Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Pierra is a classy, super-concentrated yet remarkably elegant, pure wine boasting an inky opaque purple color along with a striking bouquet of black raspberries, creme de cassis, forest floor and a touch of background oak. This multidimensional, profound, fascinating Cabernet has the texture of a skyscraper. Still young and primary, but displaying enormous potential, it should hit its prime in 5-7 years and last 30 years. It is a tour de force in great Cabernet Sauvignon winemaking. Again, it is indicative of what Turnbull Wine Cellars is achieving these days. This is a collector’s classic.
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Wine Enthusiast
All the individual parts of this 100% Cabernet are, in a word, gargantuan. Yet somehow the wine maintains its balance. The fruit is unbelievably ripe and powerful, with black currants, plums and chocolate that veer into a slight, Port-like finish. The tannins are thick and mellow, while oak adds rich notes of caramel. The result is a stupendously lush, delicious and heady wine. Hold for up to 15 years.
Cellar Selection
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.