The synergy of Nigel Kinsman’s winemaking and Michel Rolland’s mastery of blends is on full display with this classically structured wine showcasing what we believe is some of the best fruit of the Napa Valley. Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine is crafted with hand-selected lots from our heritage vineyard sites, the 1520 Vineyard on Diamond Mountain, and the Bench Vineyard in the Stags Leap District.
2021
Tasting Notes
Blended with a touch of Petit Verdot for complexity, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers an appealingly decadent nose of blueberries, plums, graphite, and sage. The dark fruit flavor profile has an underlying minerality, and it is accented with notes of sagebrush and lilacs. Full-bodied with fine tannins and a core of acidity, it delivers a long and generous finish.
Winemaking Notes
Low rainfall and a couple of brief heat spikes favored meticulous farming and resilient vineyards in 2021. Our heritage vineyards—along with our sites in the Stags Leap District and on Diamond Mountain—performed outstandingly. We harvested prior to the significant rainfalls that hit the Napa Valley at the end of the season, and brought in beautifully intact fruit. Careful viticulture and cluster selection across our sites contributed to the structure and character of our wines.
- Vintage
- 2021
- Composition
- 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
- Cases Produced
- 217
- Harvest Date
- September 15-30, 2021
- Months in Barrel
- 21 months in 75% new French oak
- Alcohol
- 14.9%
“94 points — A terrific array of red, blue and black fruits intermixed with notions of graphite and spring flowers, and an undeniable sense of minerality… it’s balanced, has remarkable purity, fine tannins, and outstanding length…”
— Jeb Dunnuck, December 2023
“97 points — This wine is intensely aromatic, pure, and bright with lifted dark berry fruit, sagebrush, and earthy minerality with lilacs. Medium to full-bodied with the finest tannins, a slight chocolaty edge, and mouthwatering blood-orange acidity on the finish. Seamless.”
— Decanter, Jonathan Cristaldi, May 2024