Gamble Family Vineyards Paramount Proprietary Red 2017
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
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Winemaker Notes
Blend: 33% Cabernet Franc, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Blending near-equal parts Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a handful of Petit Verdot, this red is softly layered, rich and nicely balanced. Fragrant aromas of freshly picked blackberries echo on the palate alongside black currant, mocha and a finishing touch of toasted oak.
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Wine Spectator
Alluring, with a creamy mouthfeel and enticing plum and raspberry compote flavors. A subtle kiss of vanilla runs underneath, while an echo of sweet bay leaf filters in. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2027.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Roughly equal parts Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with just a dollop of Petit Verdot, the 2017 Paramount Red Wine features notes of cherry and mint on the nose, with a touch of tobacco as well. It's medium to full-bodied yet tighter and more structured and tannic than Gamble's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, finishing long and dusty. Give it a couple of years in the bottle and drink it over the next decade or so.
Rating: 92+ -
James Suckling
A medium-to full-bodied red with chocolate, berry and some hazelnut. Fine tannins and a savory finish. Some white pepper. A little short at the finish. But juicy and delicious.
Other Vintages
2016-
Tasting
Panel -
James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling
With 100 years of agriculture in Napa, it comes as no surprise that the heart and soul of Gamble Family Vineyards is deeply rooted in the soil. Founded by third-generation farmer Tom Gamble in 2005, Gamble Family Vineyards owns prime estate vineyards in many of Napa’s most respected AVAs—Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Yountville. Its winery and by invitation-only tasting room have a quiet presence, sitting modestly in an isolated nook off Highway 29 in the heart of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA. Set back from the main road, Gamble’s mission here is to carry on the heritage of farming that his ancestors sowed when they came to Napa as cattle ranchers in 1916. They left with him a legacy of deep and abiding affinity for the land from which came not only their livelihood, but also a life full of purpose.
Having shadowed his father on the family ranches as a child, Tom has had a hand in the land since an early age. In 1981, at the age of 20, he purchased his first vineyard with several partners, making him the first Gamble to begin growing grapes commercially. “Given this legacy, one does not continue farming for dispassionate reasons alone—there are easier ways to make a living. And thus, taking the next step and putting my name on a bottle of wine does not come lightly,” says Gamble.
Winemaker Jim Close follows Gamble Family Vineyards’ mission of producing wines that seamlessly bring together elegance, balance, nuance, with good structure and moderate alcohol, while embracing and highlighting the characteristics Napa Valley terroir imparts on the wines. Jim Close began his winemaking career in the southern Languedoc region of France, and has made every bottle of Gamble Family Vineyards wine since 2005.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.