Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a 3-acre vineyard, four hundred cases were produced of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak casks, it is a tightly-knit, black currant-scented wine with plenty of sweet oak, as well as powerful, rich flavors that have been melded into a restrained, elegant, authoritatively flavorful wine. Patience is mandatory as this black beauty needs 4-5 more years of cellaring; it should keep for two decades.
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Wine Spectator
Marked by spice, cedar and dill notes, with just enough ripe cherry and currant flavors to fill in the gaps. Fans out with more flavor and depth with aeration. Best to cellar short-term. Best after 2000. 490 cases made.
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.