Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Viader has a long history of producing great Bordeaux-style blends grown at a high elevation on Howell Mountain. This 2010 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with almost the same percentages as the superb 2009 bottling. The wine is rich, dry and complex. It shows a fantastic array of blackberries, dates and dark chocolate, with fascinating notes of lavender and dill. The tannins are gorgeous, the acidity fine, and the application of oak is deft. It’s hard to describe just how good this wine feels in the mouth. Drink now, after decanting, or within the next 20 years.
Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This dark ruby/plum/purple-tinged blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Cabernet Franc reveals attractive raspberry, black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with hints of forest floor and flowers. Elegant, medium-bodied and delicious with no hard edges, it offers a sweet inner-core of fruit, so drink this attractive, stylish 2010 over the next 10-12 years.
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.