Cabernet Sauvignon
2011
Founded by a successful Finnish sea Captain, Gustave Niebaum, in the 1880’s, Inglenook Estate in Rutherford California was once the most highly regarded of the earliest, great Napa Valley estate wineries. Over the years the estate passed through the hands of Niebaum’s descendants. Eventually the family started to sell off plots of the historic homestead. Even the proud name was put on the market in 1964 and sold to a corporation as merely a brand name. But in 1975, Francis Ford Coppola...
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By all accounts, 2011 was a difficult vintage. Not only was the growing season uncharacteristically cold, two heavy storms at critical times affected the harvest. The first rainy cold snap in early June, resulted in limited fruit set in certain vineyard blocks, which reduced our overall yield. The second storm, at the beginning of October, triggered a botrytis outbreak in several of the vineyards. Although the affected clusters were quickly removed, this further diminished our fruit yield for the season. The upside to having a smaller crop, however, is that the grapes develop a more intense fragrance and concentration.
Over the last few years, we’ve continued to refine the methods we use in crafting our Cabernet Sauvignon in order to create the most elegant wine possible. Even though we had less fruit to work with this vintage, we were very particular about our selections. Likewise, we’re getting better aromatic expression from the grapes as a result of the new destemmer we purchased, which is gentler on the fruit and causes less oxidation. We’ve also changed our fermentation techniques. Rather than using pump overs at scheduled intervals, we evaluate each individual block and consider which ones would benefit from added development. Together, these methods greatly enhance the quality of our Cabernet. This vintage, 50% of the barrels we used were new oak, 85% French oak and 15% American oak.
Subtle and round on the palate, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask offers fragrant notes of boysenberries, cherries, black currant and leather. Flavor intensity increases on the mid-palate with beautiful impressions of red fruits, spices, and coffee. This vintage bestows a supple texture with soft tannins and smooth, even transitions, giving it a particularly elegant style.
A powerful, vibrant wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the pedigree of this historic Rutherford vineyard. Remarkably light on its feet for such a big wine, the 2013 offers exceptional depth and pedigree from the very first taste. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2013 manages to remain polished and vibrant.
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The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is exquisitely layered and nuanced, yet also captures plenty of the vintage's intensity and pure power. Inky dark fruit, licorice, dark spices, menthol and new leather are all laced together in a super attractive, mid-weight wine loaded with nuance and personality. With time in the glass, the 2013 blossoms nicely and acquires more savory, cedar, tobacco and underbrush notes.
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This is the wine our California editor Luke Sykora wanted to drink, and tasting it side by side with Rubicon, I had to admit that it showed beautifully. Cask is 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance mostly Cabernet franc and a little Merlot. In the past, the team at Inglenook described the difference between their two top Cabernets as Rubicon presenting the riper black fruits of Rutherford, and Cask focusing on red fruits. In 2012, the situation for me was reversed; Cask had the darker fruit at our tasting, still cool in tone and not heavily extracted. It brought out a rocky, stony firmness in the tannins, where Cabernet grape-skin freshness matched the monumental feel of the oak impact. These are fascinating wines to taste in tandem over the course of several hours with friends…and over the course of several days, if you have a bit left in the bottles.
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Full-bodied with lots of layered fruit and round, creamy tannins. The palate shows lovely ripe-berry character with chocolate and hazelnut and a long, flavorful finish. Hints of black truffles. Plenty going on here with a firm framework that gives the wine form and interest.
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This wine has such excellent drive, powerful but rounded and appealing at the same time. Blackcurrants and milk chocolate combine on the nose followed by a chewy, dark-fruited, liquorice-edged palate. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Wines are aged for 18 months in 100% French oak 43% new oak.
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Showing balance within a full-bodied frame, this wine is juicy in blueberry, black cherry and a hint of wild game. Oak adds spice and length, giving the plush, polished tannins room to expand and grip as a finishing touch of coffee bean builds.
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A firm and silky red with currant, light chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Ultra-fine tannins. Full to medium body, delicately austere tannins and a pretty finish. Second wine of Inglenook.
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A wine with ultra-fine tannins, silky texture and light walnut skin undertones. Full-bodied, yet extremely balanced and pretty. Fresher than the 2012, giving it tension and focus. Second wine of Inglenook.
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A bold, dramatic wine, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask offers plenty of the radiance of the vintage, along with sweet floral and spice notes that add lift to the expressive red fruit. Deep, unctuous and supple throughout, the 2012 Cask is an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years. Dark cherry, raspberry jam and mocha with attractive smoky savory underpinnings add the closing shades of nuance in this very pretty, silky Cabernet Sauvignon from Inglenook. The 2012 has really blossomed over the last year. This is the last vintage the designation 'Cask' was used for Inglenook's Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2012 is in a great spot right now, where all the elements have come together and the wine is super-expressive.
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A darker, meatier wine than the Rubicon release, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon offers lots of blackcurrants, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and damp earth-like aromas to go with a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling, concentrated style on the palate. It shows the vintage’s purity as well as its freshness, yet brings a rich, expansive vibe that's a joy to drink. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
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This shows the lighter style of 2011. It has so much fresh herb and green tobacco on the nose with subtle currant undertones. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and very, very fresh. Refined tannins. Polished all around. Second wine of Inglenook.
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Big rich savoury Napa valley cab nose with black pepper, leather, light barnyard, tobacco, cedar, cassis jam, black berry and menthol aromas. The attack is suave and elegant on the palate with small, grainy tannins. Coffee, vanilla, cedar, tobacco and smoky black berry and mint flavours mark the palate. Still lots of oak and some tannins on the finish suggesting to age over the next 2-5 years. Try it now with grilled steak.
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"Inglenook's 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask presents a distinctly Old World profile. Sweet tobacco, cedar, savory herbs, plums and black cherries are some of the nuances that take shape in the glass. This pretty, mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent choice for drinking over the next decade or so. Readers should expect a lithe, feminine wine built on aromatics, nuance and understatement." Antonio Galloni
A solid example of Napa Valley Cab, Inglenook's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon features notes of cherry, tobacco and cassis, along with a hint of eucalyptus. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, it's medium to full-bodied, silky and focused, with decent length on the finish.
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Tight, rich and focused on a dense core of spice, dried dark berry, cedar and tobacco leaf, this is firmly tannic, ending with loamy earth, black licorice and crushed rock details. Drink now through 2023. 6,300 cases made.
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