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Tasting Notes
Tasting Note
The 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is expressive and inviting, with a bouquet of wild blackberry and fresh black currant fruit alongside delicate floral notes of geranium and violet, with warmer notes of caramel, sweet cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper spice coming through from the oak integration. On the palate, the berry fruit profile continues with juicy blackberry, cassis and strawberry, but there are also hints of sweet tobacco, brown spice and bittersweet chocolate, giving this Cabernet a rich charm and fullness. Seamlessly integrated oak and cocoa-powdery tannins provide a plush mouthfeel and add layers of complexity, all wrapping up with a lengthy textured finish. Incredibly approachable and pleasing upon release, this wine is sure to impress and pair well alongside many culinary treats.
Technical Information
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Volume | 750mL |
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Blend | 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3.5% Malbec, 1.5% Petit Verdot |
| Oak Treatment | Aged in 100% French Oak barrels (37% new) for 20 months |
| Alcohol % | 14.3% |
| Enclosure Type | Cork |
Scores & Accolades
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90
Wine and Spirits
“Fresh, red-fruited and clean, this wine’s juicy cherry flavors carry straight past the espresso-like tannins. It’s bright, with an undertone of smoke, easy to enjoy in its youth, alongside pepper-crusted duck breast.” - Joshua Greene, May 2020
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92
Wine Enthusiast
"With small amounts of Merlot and mixed reds, this wine is thick in tannin and bright in red fruit, with complementary characteristics of graphite, clove and cedar. An elegant midpalate of balanced weight lens to a soft, graceful finish.” - Virginie Boone, October 2020
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93
JamesSuckling.com
"This shows lots of beautiful fruit with blackcurrants and boysenberries and there are also fine tannins that give it form and tension. Medium to full body. Lovely, fine tannins. Pretty intensity of fruit at the finish. Drink or hold.” - James Suckling
Winemaking
Winemaking Note
The first several weeks of a wine’s life are crucial. While the grapes for this wine were undergoing fermentation and maceration, Christophe and his team tasted and tested each lot daily to determine the pump overs regime, how much air the wine needed, and the best temperature to optimize maceration and extraction. After pressing off the skins, 37% of the wine went into new French oak barrels while the remainder went to seasoned French oak; this combination preserves freshness and gives the fruit more room to express itself. The wine aged for 20 months prior to bottling.
Christophe Paubert - Winemaker
For Christophe Paubert, Winemaker and General Manager at Stags’ Leap Winery, the identity of a wine is found through the terroir. Christophe’s career has spanned the industry from sales to winemaking, and his impressive background includes positions at Chateau d’Yquem and Gruaud-Larose as well as projects in Chile, Spain and Washington State. But it was the terroir of Stags’ Leap that drew him to California.
Vintage
Vintage Note
The 2017 vintage in the Napa Valley was smaller yielding but high in quality. The region enjoyed much needed rain during the winter months ending the drought. A short period of warmer than usual temperatures during Labor Day weekend accelerated harvest for early ripening grape varieties, resulting in an intense and, at times, unpredictable harvest. Though yields were lower than usual, the wines show exceptional flavor intensity and conditions were perfect for producing a wine with beautiful fruit as well as tremendous concentration of flavors, highly saturated color, and layers of complexity.Vineyard
Napa Valley AVA
Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon is synonymous with Napa Valley and has always been a mainstay in the winemaking program at Stags’ Leap Winery. Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a combination of grapes from select Napa Valley growers with a focus on sourcing from the valley floor. Winemaker Christophe Paubert selects fruit that is similar in expression to the grapes from the Stags’ Leap estate, avoiding fruit from areas he considers to be too warm and instead sourcing grapes from the southern part of Napa Valley, where the climate is cooler. This strategic sourcing ensures the focus and character for which Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignons are known.
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