Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of Napa’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in the $50 range is Vineyard 29's 2007 Cru. Produced by owners Chuck and Ann McMinn and their consulting winemaker, Philippe Melka, there are 5,000 cases of this blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The grapes are all purchased, and the wine is made at their state-of-the-art facility just off Highway 29 north of St. Helena. This beautiful wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as pure black currant fruit aromas intermixed with notions of licorice, charcoal, subtle smoke, and high class unsmoked cigar tobacco. It is an elegant, stunningly concentrated, seductive, lush wine that should age nicely for a decade or more.
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.