winemaker's notes: The 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and refined wine that develops beautifully in the glass to reveal multi-layered nuances of aromas. It has a dark ruby color and an enticing nose of cassis, black truffles and violets. On the palate, the wine has an elegant attack and bursts with flavors of fresh forest fruit, potpourri and Asian spices. It has a long finish with smooth well-integrated tannins. With proper cellaring it should give drinking pleasure through 2026.

Our 2006 Napa Valley, a blend of wine from vineyards throughout the appellation, is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. We blended the vineyard lots in early 2007 and transferred the wine to 100% new American oak barrels for aging. Blending prior to barreling allows us to achieve a balance of the wine's primary elements, such as fruit and tannin, before they are influenced by oak. The wine was then aged in barrel for approximately 25 months and another 20 months in bottle to harmonize its components before release. critical acclaim: "This is a dark-fruited and floral 2006, with more of the tobacco and green herb character than most growers in Napa Valley allow cabernet to express. That varietal character adds complexity and firm structure to a rich and sleek wine. Cellar it for several years to let the oak integrate into fruit, then serve with prime rib." >P> 91 Points

Wine & Spirits

"A good wine, with jammy Cabernet flavors of blackberries, cassis and savory spices. It's fairly low in alcohol, with a brisk, clean scour, but tannic and astringent. Feels immature even at the age of nearly five years, but it should develop. Give it another six years."

90 Points

Wine Enthusiast