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From the winery: A standard-bearer for the Napa Valley. Our sixteenth vintage of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon combines thoughtfully selected hillside and valley floor vineyards.

This appellation Cabernet is blended from a combination of hillside and valley floor vineyards. The 2020 vintage is 85% Cabernet 14% Merlot, and 1% Cab Franc.

Soil: The geology and soils of Napa Valley are complex and primarily comprised of broken down or decomposed rock that has been carried downhill from the eastern Vaca range and the western Mayacamas range into the base of the valley, where they ultimately intermingle with the silt, clay and gravel deposits of the Napa River flood plain.

Aging: Aging sur lies with bi-monthly bâtonnage coats the tannins and integrates the wood. The 2020 vintage matured 30 months in 45% new French oak barrels (Taransaud & Demptos). Non-filtered.

From the winery: 

The words “classic” and “perfect” were tossed around a lot after the 2012 growing season, and this vintage will always be remembered for its lack of drama! Winter was unseasonably dry, followed by a beautiful spring that led to a very productive flowering and fruit set. Summer and early fall were characterized by fairly mild temperatures with plenty of sunny days that allowed the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly with no major heat spikes. Interestingly, it was ZD’s latest start on record, with our first cabernet not coming in until the second week of October! If there were any challenges during harvest it was finding open fermenters for all of the beautiful cabernet fruit coming in to the winery at a frenetic pace, as harvest came to a dizzying finish the first week of November.

As always, ZD’s Cabernet is produced from several small intensely farmed vineyards in the Napa Valley and the final blend consistently results in a unique wine layered with remarkable flavor and balance. Each vineyard lot was fermented separately in small open top tanks with regular hand punch downs ensuring a gentle extraction of tannin and color. After one year in American Oak barrels and frequent blind tastings at the winery, the vineyard lots were blended and barrel aged for an additional year before bottling in July 2014.

This wine is big and unctuous with a firm structure that gives it excellent aging potential. Aromas of cassis and black cherry mingle with hints of plum, star anise and sweet vanilla. The combination of fruit, oak and tannin integrate seamlessly to provide a long, powerful finish. Enjoy!

Revisited in 2021
It has been a pleasure to revisit this Library Cabernet from what was considered a spectacular vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Looking back at the original notes and tasting it now clearly demonstrates how well Napa Valley Cabernet ages in a “classic” and “drama-free” vintage. This wine has a beautiful medium ruby color. Aromas of jammy raspberry and ripe cherry mingle with subtle hints of cola, clove, earth and cedar. The tannins have softened nicely but still provide a wonderful backbone that continues to support the core of ripe fruit and delicate acidity that will benefit this wine as it continues to develop for years to come.

93 Points! The more traditional 2012 Gran Reserva comes from one of the driest years on record. It's mostly Tempranillo with some 3% Graciano matured in American oak barrels, 25% of them new, for 26 months, despite which, the wine is not excessively oaky. They wanted to keep the traditional profile but adjusted the toast on the barrels to adjust the excessive vanilla and coconut. This is structured, powerful, ripe without excess, spicy and balsamic, developing the bouquet, still young and with very good balance. It should be long lived. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! The purple-colored 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard is a step up, not surprising given this vineyard’s track record. Exotic spices, incense, violets, earthy minerals, black currant, and blackberry aromas inform the nose of a rich, plush, dense offering with enough fine-grained tannin to evolve for another 3-4 years. It is likely to see its 20th birthday in fine form. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2013 Barolo Ginestra shows grace and purity, with significant power at the back that is partially fueled by the wine's well-integrated alcohol (recorded at 15%). The wine's texture is compact, and the flavor knitting is tight and carefully detailed. These qualities bode very well for the future evolution of this vintage that will undoubtedly soften and flesh out with more time in the bottle. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Great value here from the famous Bedrock Vineyard (Shhh....)! From the winery: A punchy, spicy blend of zinfandel (80%), barbera (15%) and Alicante Bouschet (5%). The Zinfandel and Alicante were sourced from the Bedrock Vineyard in Sonoma. The fruit was from adjacent blocks so we picked both on the same day, co-fermenting them together. Traditionally this fruit has always been the base for our red table wine. We then blended in a few barrels of Barbera to level up the acidity and aromatics.

The absolute highest quality European hand-blown and titanium-strengthened crystal wine stemware.

Meticulously crafted for the ideal balance of concentration and complexity in your favorite wines. Every detail tested, measured, and fine-tuned to create an exceptional glass.

Pick ups/will calls can buy in any quantity but...

Due to product safety in transit - We can only ship in quantities of 6.

Made from durable, water-repellent waxed canvas, this wine bag is ready to go the distance. It holds two standard bottles and is fitted with sturdy leather straps for easy carrying.

• Holds two standard sized wine bottles
• Constructed from waxed canvas with leather straps
• Includes two side pockets, perfect for carrying your corkscrews and bottle openers