Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes on a half-hour decant. $59.99 at Costco; which shows again there is a wine glut out there in the marketplace. All the Napa wineries have stepped up their frequency of emails, added texts and backed up w/ personal calls. They have all raised their pricing over the years and now an abundance of fruit being sold for less, but less buyers these days due to a troubled economy & new generation(s) not buying wine like previous ones. They might have to rely on very good AI to figure out those issues.

The nose is; dark, lush, ruby; dark currants, blackberries, elderberries, black plum, boysenberries, some blueberries, dark cherries, plum & raspberries. The core is black currants, sweet tarriness with anise that runs into black licorice. Dark chocolate, dark cocoa, soft baking spices; vanillin, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove, cedar with shaved oak, shaved coconut notes, fresh tobacco, new leather, dark, sweet, turned earth w/ dry leaves & twigs, under toned dark spices, dash of fresh & dry herbs, dry stone, crushed limestone, liquid, ruby, candied, dark fresh & withering flowers framed in lavender & violets.

The M+ tannins are big, bold, round & coated with dust. Bigger & bolder than most other 21’s I’ve had. It is still beastly and definitely needs another 5+ years in bottle before opening and will last two decades w/ change. The sense of the 14.9% palate ABV seems more 15.7 at this point, but believe it will tame with more bottle age. Lush, ruby, dark currants, blackberries, elderberries, black plum, boysenberries, some blueberries, dark cherries, plum, raspberries w/ strawberries notes. The core is also black currants, sweet, deep tarriness with anise that runs into black licorice. Dark chocolate, dark cocoa powder, a little more pronounced baking spices; vanillin, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove, big, dry cedar with shaved oak, shaved coconut notes, dry tobacco, new leather, dark, sweet, turned earth w/ dry leaves & twig, grey volcanic ash & clay, charcoal w/ ash, bolder, dark spices; which penetrate the tongue with heat, a dash of fresh & dry herbs, dry river stone, crushed limestone with volcanic rock, liquid, ruby, candied, dark fresh & withering flowers, red roses, framed in lavender & violets. Good, round acidity with a huge finish that shows big structure & tension, not quite in balance yet as it needs to resolve further, the promise of more elegance and a lasting long finish landing squarely on earth & spices.

This shows all the elements that promise another two, maybe three points with better aging.

86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot & 3% Malbec. Aged 20 months is 80% New French Oak Barrels.

Photos of; their estate vines, tasting room & patio, swing on the small lake that sits on/near the estate. .

Sweet, decent acid. Classic cab notes. Raisiny.

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec, aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak, deep Ruby with purple hues, aromas of berry fruits, slight floral and spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cedar, vanilla and herb floral notes. Firm tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, cacao, oak and herb character. Nice!! Will age well!

Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc. % Malbec and 3% Merlot, aged for 20 months in 85% new French oak, deep Ruby with purple hues, aromas of berry fruits, slight floral and smoky spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cedar, vanilla and herb floral notes. Fine tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, cacao, smoky oak and herb character. Nice!! Aging and drinking well!

Blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, aged for 20 months in 85% new French oak, deep Ruby with purple hues, aromas of berry fruits, slight floral and spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cedar, vanilla and herb floral notes. Fine tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, cacao, oak and herb character. Nice!! Aging and drinking well!

So consistent. One of our fave Napa cabs in its price range. We have every vintage back to 2013 (which I think was their first).

Blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 3% Malbec, aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak, deep Ruby with purple hues, aromas of berry fruits, slight floral and spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cedar, vanilla and herb floral notes. Firm tannins, long finish, ending with fruit, cacao, oak and herb character. Nice!! Will age well!

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Still very young, but already enjoyable even by itself.

Fruit forward and dry on the palate, with medium acidity and nice complexity. Rich and extracted.

Long finish with round tannins.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after a few hours in the decanter.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine. Would pair beautifully with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 3% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged for 20 months in (85% new) French Oak barrels.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$90.

One of our favorite Napa cabs at this price. Excellent and so consistent in terms of quality and style.

This surprised me in a good way! The bottle became better as it opened.