Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Cabernet Sauvignon releases, the 2016 Le Petit Vice is the second wine of the estate and spent 20 months in 50% new French oak. Made mostly from declassified fruit, yet also with some purchased fruit, it certainly delivers the goods and shows the quality of this estate. Blackberries, plums, cedary herb, and scorched earth characteristics all flow to a layered, medium to full-bodied Cabernet that has remarkable elegance and purity. It’s one hell of a second wine and there are 500 cases produced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a new second wine meant as a means for consumers to discover the Vice Versa brand. Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, blending fruit from St. Helena, Pritchard Hill and Yountville and aged 20 months in 50% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Le Petit Vice is deep garnet-purple colored and opens with expressive crème de cassis, preserved plums and blueberry tart with hints of Chinese five spice, sandalwood, pencil lead and menthol plus a waft of coffee beans. It's full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth with wonderfully plush yet firm tannins and great freshness, finishing very long and spicy.
Rating: 93+
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.