Somerston XCVI Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
The nose here is suggestive, offering up dark notes of dark plums, licorice and dark chocolate, as well as fresh herbs, cedar and ash. The palate shows lovely tension with pretty acidity, grainy tannins and a taut line of acidity. A long, chewy finish.
-
Wine Spectator
This shows a polished, creamy feel from the start, with plum sauce and cassis flavors taking the lead, while cocoa, fruitcake and black licorice notes fill in through the finish. On the hefty side, but the fruit is very solid. Best from 2021 through 2028.
-
Wine & Spirits
From a hillside block planted in 2008 at a 1,600-acre estate in the eastern hills of Napa Valley, these vines grow at an elevation of 1,100 feet. Craig Becker cold soaks the cabernet for five days before allowing it to warm up to a spontaneous fermentation, then he ages the wine for two years in French oak barrels, 70 percent new. This is a powerful wine with enough stamina and drive to carry its substantial extract. Black and blue in its berry flavors, it has the brightness of wild-grown fruit. The oak tannins offer chocolate richness and a smoked paprika edge of bitterness, adding spice to the generous well of fruit. Cellar worthy.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.