Search results for: 'Napa'

From the winery: The Napa bottling continues to be Caterwaul’s calling card. We’ve had a lot of success (and fun) with this wine, offering a true value driven Cabernet that punches way above its weight. The Napa bottling has allowed us to trial vineyards in all parts of Napa knowing we have a catch all for anything that might not be of single vineyard quality. With Matt’s family holdings in Pope Valley as our high quality base, we’ve been able to grab a few cooler, down valley sites to complement the warmth of his estate. Adding in barrels from my family of consulting clients has helped up quality every year especially in a vintage as good as 2021. The goal is to continue to grow this bottling, while keeping the price reasonable, and use its distribution to expose more people to Caterwaul’s smaller, single site wines. As wine consumers ourselves, it just feels good to offer a wine of this quality at this price. Dark, complex and structured, the 2021 vintage delivers a Cabernet Sauvignon profile that comes from having access to some of the finest vineyards in the Napa Valley. The wine displays a completely opaque, dark purple hue in the glass. Densely layered aromatic notes suggest plum reduction, quince, oolong tea, and cedar bark. The palate experience has an interwoven dark fruit core with lively baker’s chocolate notes that then lean towards brambly red fruit. Notes of blackberry paste, leather and cocoa nib dominate the mid palate while the lengthy finish expresses brighter notes of black raspberry, dark cherry and blueberries. The sleek mouthfeel is framed by finely integrated tannins and a balanced acidity, allowing for immediate enjoyment or a little nap in the cellar. - Thomas Rivers Brown

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The (Gamble Family) Mill Keeper Red Wine Napa Valley 2019 is a Bordeaux blend in the Gamble Family style. Tom’s focus is on the classic cabs of the Napa Valley and not the 15%+ bruisers we see from many $200+ a bottle operations today. With its soft tannins, balanced acidity, and full, lengthy finish, this wine is a fine snapshot of what Napa used to be and, who knows, may become again someday as the next generation moves into town making more truly Bordeaux-inspired reds. Hints of cocoa and barrel spice complement the mid-palate of dark fruits and you smell and taste the ‘Franc’ notes of this blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec aged 20 months in 40% new French oak.

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91 Points! A good value from the team of Far Niente, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley checks in as 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc, all of which was raised in 50% new oak. This deep purple-hued, medium to full-bodied effort has pretty cassis and violet aromatics, a round, supple mouthfeel, some building tannins, and outstanding length. It's impeccably made and undeniably delicious. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years or so. - Jeb Dunnuck

The finest Bella Union yet! The 2021 vintage was VERY kind to the team at Far Niente..."Bella Union was founded by the partners of Far Niente to specialize in the art of blending Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The cornerstone of the blend is our 25-acre vineyard in Rutherford, along Bella Oaks Lane, a country road that was historically called Bella Union. The vineyard is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon in well-drained loam, and the vines range from 20 – 30 years of age. Classic varietals of Malbec, Cabernet Franc
and Petite Verdot sourced from select Napa Valley vineyards complete the blend."

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95 Points! In 1969, Joe Heitz made a cuvée that was more outstanding than his Napa Cabernet, but not a single-vineyard bottling. In 2018, after the winery was bought by Gaylon Lawrence Jr., the team at Heitz discovered four bottles and decided they should set out to recreate Joe’s experiment. It is the boldest of the bunch: a delicious hedonistic pleasure filled red with excellent balance and teeming with pure dark fruit notes, rich earthen spices, dried purple florals, cedarwood, tobacco, and dark chocolate — a firm acid backbone frames fine-grained tannins. There is plenty of richness, balanced by tension and energy. Lawrence Wine Estates Master Sommelier and CEO Carlton McCoy calls it the ‘uber Napa cuvee’ and the best multi-site expression of Heitz for the vintage. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Expressive, with a bold menthol note followed quickly by boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors wrapped in black licorice. The long finish has a tug of earth amid a generally velvety feel, while the menthol note curls around the fruit. Distinctive. Drink now through 2038. - Wine Spectator

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A ridiculously good value-priced blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from the Gamble Family Estate in the heart of the Napa Valley!

The (Gamble Family) Mill Keeper White Wine Napa Valley 2021 is a blend of fresh, lively Sauvignon Blanc and round, fruity Chardonnay. As some of you may recall from these pages before, the Gamble Family Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best in the valley. But did you know that Gamble’s Chardonnay fruit is the foundation of the Beringer Reserve Chardonnay program? Crazy, right?

Together, that blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Chardonnay aged in 21% new French Oak for 10 months delivers an easier, rounder hypothetical mash-up of those two wines. The Sauvignon gives vibrancy and focus, and the Chardonnay provides an ample middle. What a ‘white wine’ for the money!

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95 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon tumbles out with plum preserves, blackcurrant cordial, and stewed blackberries notes with hints of bay leaves, graphite, and fragrant earth. The full-bodied palate is firm and grainy textured, supporting the tight-knit fruit, finishing long with a minty lift. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

93 Points! A blend of all the vineyards they work with (of which there are seven), the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley sports a deep purple hue to go with classic Napa notes of blue fruits, chocolate, spicy oak, and tobacco. It's full-bodied, opulent, sexy, and undeniably delicious. - Jeb Dunnuck

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As you hear repeatedly here and elsewhere, great wine starts in the vineyard. This Cabernet came from some important Napa Valley dirt in a great vintage. The fruit in this one might be even more vibrant, and we dare say better than the last one, with a wave of buoyant dark cherry, plum, and black currant coming across the palate like a fastball down the middle. Like the last rendition, this was ‘Mountain grown in the flavor zone’ and wears its terroir proudly. There are flecks of brown spices, coffee, some underlying minerality, and a bit of dark chocolate at the finish. It’s clean, bright, balanced, fruit driven and very Napa.

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94 Points! Blackberry and blueberry aromas with crushed stone. Lavender. Medium body, with velvety tannins. Juicy and crunchy. Serious Napa cabernet although some petite sirah and charbono in the blend as well. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley comes mostly from Rutherford and is an interesting blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Charbono, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah that was brought up in 65% new French oak. It's a terrific wine offering classic currant fruits, some baking chocolate and spicy nuances, medium to full-bodied, ripe tannins, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. California needs more wines like this. Drink this beauty over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

 

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96 Points! The 2017 Blacktail Proprietary Red Blend MMXVII is a blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Malbec, 23% Petite Sirah and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to begin, requiring some swirling to reveal a seducing perfume of lilacs, baked plums, blueberry pie and spice cake with hints of potpourri, unsmoked cigars and chocolate mint. The palate is medium to full-bodied and concentrated, but not in the least heavy, delivering layer upon layer of perfumed black fruits and a velvety texture, finishing fragrant and long, long, long. It is an exercise in polish and poise. 305 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com Learn More

98-100 Points! From a parcel along Silverado Trail that Bevan describes as "super rocky," the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard offers up a hugely complex, fruit-driven bouquet that blends purple raspberries, black cherries, red raspberries and cassis. It's full-bodied and richly concentrated, with a long, velvety finish. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

98 Points! From one of the top sites in the valley and all Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard isn't far off the Calixtro cuvée, yet it's more forward and opulent, with savory red and black fruits, notes of iron, dusty earth, leather, and baking spice, full-bodied richness and depth, and ripe yet building, substantial tannins. It offers some up-front charm today, but it’s going to reward 3-4 years of bottle age and should evolve for 25-30 years. This is another serious, age-worthy, incredible wine from Bevan that readers will absolutely love. - Jeb Dunnuck

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98-100 Points! The terrific 2021 Proprietary Red Sugarloaf Mountain is a 60-40 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from this vineyard in southern Napa. Vaguely floral and leafy, loaded with purple raspberries and cherries, this is really complex, with lovely fruit. Full-bodied, supple, silky and seamless, it finishes long and elegant. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

97+ Points! Gorgeous blue fruits, mountain scrub brush, sage, espresso, black raspberry, and violet notes all emerge from the 2021 Proprietary Red Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that's full-bodied and has terrific overall balance, building, fine-grained tannins, and a good spine of acidity that carries through the finish. This is another gorgeous wine in the lineup that shines for its complexity, balance, and depth. - Jeb Dunnuck

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99 Points! The 2021 EE Red Wine is ripe and powerful, with smoky red and black fruits as well as lots of background oak, graphite, espresso, and dark chocolate-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has plenty of background oak, the building tannins of the vintage, and a great finish. A gorgeous wine, it will benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar and evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels. - Jeb Dunnuck

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98 Points! An absolutely brilliant wine, the 2021 Ontogeny is an appellation blend put together by Bevan, and it's a year-in, year-out incredible value. Competing with wines 2-3 times its price (if not more), it reveals a deep purple hue as well as an exuberant, full-bodied, concentrated style carrying loads of cr me de cassis, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. Super-rich, opulent, yet flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins, you should buy a case of this if you can. It should have at least 10-15 years of prime drinking. - Jeb Dunnuck

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99 Points! The 2019 Stones Longitude-Latitude, an even split of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, is another deep, rich, layered wine with a beautiful sense of elegance and finesse, no doubt due to the high quantity of Cabernet Franc. Cassis, violets, resinous herbs, and exotic flower notes all define the nose, and it’s pure, seamless, and balanced as they come, with perfect tannins. It too will have over two decades of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

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99 Points! A wine that flirts with perfection is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2, which is all Cabernet Sauvignon from Pritchard Hill. It has a more Mountain vibe in its structure and minerality and gives up lots of red and black fruits, iron, tobacco, and savory, almost bloody aromas and flavors. A monster on the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep, and incredibly concentrated, yet stays balanced, has incredible purity and freshness, and a great, great finish. It needs bottle age, but it’s brilliant juice. - Jeb Dunnuck

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91 Points! Another terrific wine from this estate that represents a smoking value, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Terra 9 has ripe black fruits, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and iron-like nuances to go with a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, beautifully balanced style. It's going to drink well for 10-12 years with no issues. - Jeb Dunnuck

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From Marcey's Vineyard in Calistoga, sage and currant aromatics, black cherry, cassis and vanilla unfold seamlessly on the palate, finishing with a silky and succulent structure. Only 127 cases produced!

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