Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert Steak Wine that follows the St. Emilion nicely. Allen Brothers Ribeye just pulls apart with a fork.

Certainly one of the very best Napa vintages in my lifetime.

The first thing I would say is...the 97 has not achieved its peak. However, it is grand.

The nose reveals; cinnamon stick, dark currants, ripe, ruby, blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plums, dark expresso grounds, dark spice, clove, nutmeg, dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, steeped, dark fruit tea, limestone to sandstone, incense, fire ambers, moist clay with amazing, yet understated, ruby, candied florals that are withering; dark, red, purple & blue framed in an equally divided field of violets & lavender.

The palate is; full, round, velvety, sexy, glorious and flat out elegant. The silky tannins are seriously round and tarry/meaty. The structure, tension, balance & length are in the realm of “walk off grand slam.” Dark currants, ripe, ruby, blackberries, black raspberries, black cherries, black plum that is skin dominate, dark expresso grounds, dark spice, clove, nutmeg, dates, figs, dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, steeped, dark fruit tea, limestone to sandstone, river stone, incense, fire ambers, notes of savory seasoned prime rib, moist clay with amazing, yet understated, ruby, candied florals that are withering; dark, red, purple & blue framed in an equally divided field of violets & lavender. The acidity is dead on. The finish is; juicy, lush, rich fruits that slide into mid spice and grippy balanced earth.

There is nothing about this wine that says tired.

Amazing follow up Allen’s Brothers steak wine.

Best Napa Cabernet I’ve had this year.

Lovely wine. Lavender and black fruit nose. Blue fruit, cassis, menthol, pencil shavings, black licorice. Amazing texture and mouthfeel. Lovely long finish. Fantastic wine, gonna have to order some more.

Extremely dark ruby coloration. No translucency.
On the nose, cherry, vanilla, dark berry , forest floor, espresso, currant, prune. On the palate, florals/violet, cherry, dark berry, vanilla, plum, oak, long finish of vanilla and cherry. Very smooth, velvety tannins are perfectly balanced. Full and round bodied.

Lighter than expected but immediately drinkable and smooth

Good wine but too young to drink

Jeff’s cellar

Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017: Medium-plus body. Perfect balance between acidity & tannins. Big, dark fruit flavors of blackberry, black currant & blueberry and soft notes of vanilla & oak. An unforgettably smooth long finish. For me, this was the highlight wine of the night. Simply amazing! A must try if you want to experience the pinnacle of California Cabernets! Happy New Year to all! Cheers🍷

There is magic in this Cabernet (with a touch of merlot). The key theme here is harmony! The relationship and balance between fruit, acid and tannins is very special. This wine sings with depth, nuance, layers and a long soft finish. An amazing effort with mountain fruit from Veeder, Spring, Howell and Diamond Mountains.

Opened six hours beforehand (3 in the bottle and 3 in the decanter). Absolutely fabulous! Dark chocolate and black cherries with a hint of tobacco and leather. Spectacular bouquet and equally spectacular finish.

We had the 2012 Vintage on 6/12/20. An excellent full bodied, well balanced wine. Blackberry, graphite and flowers on the bouquet. Blackberry, blueberry oak and spice on the palate. This needed three hours of decanter time.