Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very floral with pure raspberry and sliced plum aromas. Full-bodied, yet tight and reserved with firm tannins and a shaved chocolate, light toast and berry finish. Give it a year or two or three to soften.
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Wine Enthusiast
This robust, refined wine, dusted in tiny additions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, is impressively crafted, seamless in approach and velvety in texture. Juicy blackberry and black currant, along with softer notions of black cherry, highlight buoyant acidity and a lush, thick finish. This should show best between 2023 and 2028.
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.