Cabernet Sauvignon
2013
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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Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon is a tribute to John Daniel Jr., who produced the much heralded Inglenook 1941 Cabernet Sauvignon from vine cuttings brought from Bordeaux to the Inglenook Estate by founder Gustave Niebaum. Today, this standout wine is still crafted with organically-farmed fruit and estate grown.
Over the last few years, we’ve refined our Cabernet Sauvignon program, using smaller boxes for picking, a new destemmer that is gentler on the fruit, and we apply greater scrutiny during the fermentation process by evaluating individual blocks of fruit daily to determine which will benefit from pump overs. Also, this vintage, we implemented by-the-hour pay for our pickers rather than by-the-ton, as an additional quality measure that encourages our vineyard staff to pick more slowly, be gentler with the fruit, and focus on selecting higher quality clusters as a means of pre-sorting. These methods have greatly enhanced the quality of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike Rubicon, which is aged exclusively in French oak, we age our Inglenook Cabernet in a combination of French and American oak for 18 months, this year using a large percentage of new oak to support the tannin structure.
The 2013 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon is a voluminous wine with upfront sweetness and fine, powdery tannins that develop intensity. Highly aromatic and immediately expressive, the palate reflects the nose with fragrant nuances of red and black fruits that include raspberries, cherries, blueberries, plums and blackberries, all enlivened by exotic spices, notes of tobacco, and a touch of dark chocolate. This is a big wine, one that demonstrates great texture, a freshness brought about by balanced natural acidity, and a long, rapturous finish. It will continue to evolve over the next 10-20 years.
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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A dense, succulent wine, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon captures all the raw power and density of the year. The 2015 is just starting to soften, but ideally it needs another few years in bottle to be at its finest. Readers should expect an especially opulent style, and yet the 2015 has more than enough depth to drink well for another 15+ years or more.
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A spectacular Napa Valley red wine from an iconic producer. Aromas of dark fruit and smoke. Pair with a rare steak.
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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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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 bottling reflects the past several years' fine-tuning the winery's vision in the vineyard and in the cellar. Including small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it's a rounded, concentrated wine that expresses the vintage with ripe, grippy tannins that beg for further resolution. Blackberry, clove and leather flavors rise to the fore.
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Aromas of blackberry, chocolate and chili follow through to a full body, tight and chewy tannins and a linear finish. Shows polish and class. A blend of 92% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc, 2% merlot. Very well done...
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The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a powerful and dense in the glass. Sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice and grilled herbs give the wine its aromatic nuance. This is an especially savory style, with mid-weight structure and linear tannins that need time to soften. This is a super-classic Rutherford Cabernet.
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Beautiful aromas of ripe cabernet sauvignon with blackcurrants and perfume that follow through to a full body, firm and silky tannins and a pretty long finish. Shows poise and polish.
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Aromas of currants, blackberries and violets follow through to a medium body and firm, tight tannins that give it length and structure. This needs time to soften. Better after 2022.
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The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and boisterous in feel, with good energy and terrific balance for the year. Sweet floral notes, blood orange and spice add shades of nuance to a core of dark red berry fruit. More than anything else, though, I am very pleasantly surprised by the wine's freshness and overall energy
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The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most potent wines I have tasted from Inglenook in a long time. Readers should be patient, as the 2019 is a mere infant. A rush of black cherry, mocha, licorice, spice and leather builds as this sumptuous, towering wine gradually opens with a bit of aeration. I would give the 2019 at least a few years in bottle, as the grippy tannins need time to soften.
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A classic Napa Cabernet, smooth and rich, softly spoken with swirls of black fruits and gentle spice. This will age but there is no need to wait too long as the sides are already smoothed out. A great entry point to Rubicon, showing how carefully Inglenook walks the line between richly powerful concentrated Cabernet and a fresher lean style of wine. No trace of over ripeness or the smoke that impacted the very end of the picking. Tasted twice. 95ha estate on a huge, almost 700ha estate. Philippe Bascaules director of winemaking. 50% new oak. Blend completed with 1% Petit Verdot.
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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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Soft and round, with an undeniable Old World-like balance, this wine shows dark chocolate, tobacco and tar notes. Its power derives from its complex texture, imbued with a smoky oak essence and clove and graphite accents.
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A beautiful cabernet sauvignon here with blackcurrants, blueberries, dark chocolate and nutmeg. Full body, velvety tannins and a savory and fruity finish.
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Earthy and high-toned, this elegant and structured wine was blended with 4% Cabernet Franc. Supple in tannin and well integrated in oak, it finishes in a floral touch of violet
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Elegant, with a core of red currant, damson plum and dark cherry fruit flavors carried by a fine-grained, cedar-tinged spine, ending with light incense and mineral hints. Drink now through 2029. 7,750 cases made.
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