WINE REVIEWS
2016 Louis Martini Cypress Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Louis Martini emigrated from Genoa, Italy to assist his father in making wine in San Francisco in the early 1900’s. The original winery, founded in 1933 was restored in 2019 into a fashionable and cutting-edge facility. These grapes were grown on the rocky slopes of the Vacas Mountain range. It is composed of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon with 4% Petit Verdot. The opaque hue yields fresh boysenberry and mulberry compote intertwined with incense and sweet toasted oak. It has a long and memorable finish.(winery only).
2016 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve
Beaulieu Vineyard “BV” was founded by Frenchman Georges de Latour in 1900. Russian born and French educated research enologist André Tchelistcheff's contributions elevated it to an ultra-premium status. Best known for their flagship Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Jeffrey Stambor placed his signature on the Tapestry Reserve from the 2016 vintage and his predecessor Trevor Durling crafted the final blend. This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant red is crafted in a classic Bordeaux style with plenty of briary black currant and juicy blackberry fruit mixed with glycerin and black tea. There are are accents of graphite beneath the polished tannins and seductive ripeness of this wine that will allow it to evolve with age.
2016 Provenance Deadeye Red Blend
Situated in Rutherford, this winery released its first vintage in 1999 with an emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon. It is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with the majority of fruit coming from Howell Mountain (45%) and Oakville (23%). The opaque color reveals a generous amount of decadent ripe black olive tapenade mixed with vanilla bean, cocoa powder and a rustic spicy edge. This wine’s silky approach and fine-grained tannins place it in a class by itself.
2016 Robert Mondavi
Maestro
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Robert Mondavi Winery, Maestro’s inaugural release was in 2016. These grapes are farmed from vineyards throughout Napa in addition to those from the famed To-Kalon location. This dominant Cabernet Sauvignon blend (65%) is not your prototypical heavy-handed red. It is medium ruby in color, infused with cinnamon, juicy red fruits of pomegranate and dark red raspberries along with enough complexity and depth to keep your attention.
2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
This is one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley. Founded in 1875 with 215 acres of vineyards, Jacob and Frederick Beringer established Beringer Vineyards. Mark Beringer, great-great grandson of founding brother Jacob, guides this historic winery on its new path as Chief Winemaker. The 2016 Beringer Private Reserve recreates the classic Beringer style. Composed of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine overflows with chuncks of unctous blue and black fruits. A wealth of macerated boysenberries, blackberry and mulberry welcome you on the entry, followed by a layer of rich, dark espresso and cocoa bean. Extravagant and concentrated, the background is accented with layers of graphite and ripe tannins. It may reach its full potential with the next generation, although it may be hard to resist now. This wine is a splurge, but it will return your investment many times over.
2016 Robert Mondavi
Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
The near perfect growing conditions of the 2016 vintage allowed wineries to craft some of their best wines of the decade and this Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception. The wine begins with a deep inky color, revealing a gorgeous easy-going Cabernet that drinks well from the first glass. It boasts of dark cherry pie, red plums, milk chocolate, a hint of licorice along with some pretty floral notes and upfront cassis. There are sweet tannins and a terrific overall balance leading up to a juicy finish that races on until the end. This crowd-pleasing style comes at a tremendous value.
​
By Perry Miroballi