Amici Hirondelle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Vineyard is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes barreling out of the glass with vibrant expressions of crème de cassis, blackberries and Black Forest cake with hints of of dried mint, star anise and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers beautiful intensity, featuring spice-laced black fruit layers and great tension, culminating in a long, savory finish.
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James Suckling
What a beautiful red to smell, offering blackcurrants, forest floor, meat, pine needles and flowers. Complex, to say the least. Full-bodied with crushed-stone and berry character. Fine, dusty tannins and a beautiful finish. Plenty of subtle character. Give it two or three years to soften, but already beautiful.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Vineyard comes from the Stags Leap region of the valley and offers a more perfumed, complex style in its red and black currants, dried flowers, smoked tobacco, and lead pencil-like aromas and flavors. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness, it’s another flawlessly balanced, seamless wine from winemaker Tony Biagi that can be enjoyed any time over the coming 20 years or more.
Rating: 96+
Other Vintages
2017-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Over thirty years in the making, Amici Cellars is a blend of the old and the new. Preserving its legacy and producing wines of exceptional character is the unwavering commitment of proprietors John Harris and Bob Shepard, who attribute success in large part to the age-old adage “nothing replaces hard work,” but also their intuition and ability to capture the most significant opportunity in a decisive moment.
The turning point was 2009, when after more than 15 years of making wine as a passion project with modest distribution, the two friends fully committed to taking their adventure and turning it into a prestigious Napa Valley winemaking estate. The United States was facing the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s, costly Cabernets no longer flying off shelves, but John and Bob have always trusted in their intuition and a core belief - bottle beautiful, high quality wines that are accessible to enjoy every day and for age-worthy collections.
They have decidedly chosen a talented team, seasoned winemaker Tony Biagi, a Napa Valley veteran with more than 25-years-experience, and associate winemaker Dante West, a rising star whose energy matches his true-to-varietal wines. Together they bring decades of relationships with outstanding growers in the field that, combined with their craftsmanship, creates the best possible capsule of each vineyard site, a combination of the soil, climate and people who farm it.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.