Lail J. Daniel Cuvee 1996
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Blend: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot
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Wine Spectator
Wonderful, ripe, complex, intense fruit flavors, with lots of black cherry, plum, spice, cedar, anise and sage neatly woven together. Firms up on the finish, with well-integrated tannins. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are 600 cases of the 1996 J. Daniel Cuvee, a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot. It exhibits a dense ruby color with a purple hue. The classy nose of chocolate, cassis, black cherries, and toast is followed by a medium to full-bodied offering with outstanding ripeness, sweet tannin, and a layered, multi-dimensional personality. Delicious, and already revealing considerable complexity, it can be drunk now and over the next 15 years. Kudos to John and Robin Lail for the efforts they have produced to date. The talented young Frenchman, Philippe Melka, is their winemaker.
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Robin Daniel Lail’s heritage began in 1879 with the founding of Inglenook Vineyards by her great -granduncle, the iconic Captain Gustave Niebaum. By the early 1890s, this brilliant man’s obsession for achieving the pinnacle of excellence earned Inglenook wines the status of being considered by many as the finest produced in the country.
The determination to achieve excellence was carried forward through the decades following Niebaum’s death in 1908, with a crescendo in the thirty years following the repeal of Prohibition under the meticulous, passionate stewardship of John Daniel, Jr., Robin’s father. The collection of Cabernets coming from his years of ownership is still celebrated today as some of the finest red wines on earth.
Although Inglenook was sold in 1964, the passion for winemaking did not fade. Robin inherited her father’s respect for tradition. After working as the personal assistant to her mentor, Robert Mondavi, for five years, she left in 1982 to co-found Dominus Estate with Christian Moueix. The following year she co-founded Merryvale Vineyards with Bill Harlan, serving as president for a decade, before finally launching on her eponymous venture, Lail Vineyards, with her two daughters in 1995. Today her family honors his legacy with their relentless pursuit to produce wines second to none.
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.