Winemaker Notes
This wine pairs ideally with a double cut bone-in rib eye steak with sautéed chanterelle mushrooms and shallots served with haricot verts in garlic butter with a saffron risotto cake. Save a half glass for dessert and do the dark chocolate molten lava cake.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Black fruit, dark plums, cedar and dried herbs on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Structured and focused on the palate. Give it some time to calm down. Try after 2023.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy in tobacco and cedar, this block-designate from near Atlas Peak shows a richness of dark-black fruit and a touch of reduction. Burly in style, showing the warmth of the vintage, it finishes in a grip of supple, integrated tannin.
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.