Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Reviews

Starts shy, then slowly but surely reveals good concentration and a nice floral component. A herbaceous note below the dark fruit. This is tangy and vibrant, making a change from the frequently overripe styles.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve is a terrific value that should be snatched up by readers. Giving up lots of classic Cabernet cassis and currant fruit, plenty of tobacco and earth, medium to full-bodied richness, and a great mid-palate, drink this impressive, balanced, classically style Cabernet anytime over the coming decade.

A juicy and fruity wine with brambleberry and chocolate. Some hazelnut. Medium to full body. Silky texture. Drink now or hold.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve has vague cassis and earthy scents. With chewy tannins, nice texture and freshness to match the fruit, it's not bad at all.

Dusty and tannic, this is a solid value for its quality—a wine of freshness and grip that offers complexity and approachability in equal measure. Black-cherry and black-pepper flavors highlight the palate. 

Shows off a profile of currant, red berry and red licorice notes. Dense without being weighty, avoiding a tannic overload. Ends with a long, persistent finish. Best from 2019 through 2029. 17,000 cases made.
–JL

94 points 

Excellent, Highly Recommended
This is a classically styled and proportioned Napa Cabernet with delightful aromatics of cassis, toasted cedar, blackberry preserves, and wild fennel. The palate is a decadent combination of ripe fruit, dark cocoa, and a nice touch of savory tannin.

Very elegant, supple and understated style with notes of plum skin, cassis, vanilla and coffee bean and gentle, fine fresh texture. 

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 40th Anniversary is a blend of 17 vineyards, with the dominant part from the Rutherford Estate. The final blend was 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec and Petit Syrah. This was aged 19 months in about 30% new French oak and bottled unfiltered. A real beauty, and, for a top Napa Cabernet, an excellent price point. The wine has a dense bluish purple color, a sweet kiss of crème de cassis, licorice, camphor and subtle toast. Relatively opulent on the attack and midpalate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with silky tannin, adequate acidity and impressive purity and length. There are 17,000 cases of this wine, and it is definitely worth taking a serious look at.

A delicious red with ripe red fruit, plum and raspberry notes. Pair with a rare steak.

Elegantly styled, with refined spicy oak, currant, dark berry and licorice notes. Shows an impressive integration of flavors and textural nuance. Drink now through 2024.
–JL
 

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve comes from a mix of sites, ranging from Yountville to Calistoga, and Atlas Peak. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, it has a dense purple color and a beautiful nose of blue and black fruit, licorice, graphite and subtle toast. This beauty can be drunk now or cellared for another several decades.

Succulent in red cherry and cassis, this wine has a surprising level of depth and grip. It finds its way with integrated tannins, soft layers of caramelized oak and a brightness of fruit and acidity. —V.B.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is plump, juicy and forward. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha and spice abound in a generous, ripe Cabernet Sauvignon that delivers outstanding quality and value, especially considering the 22,000 case production. - Antonio Galloni

GOLD

SILVER

Best Buy. Layering strawberries, darker blueberries and chocolate, this is a wine of cushioned richness, satisfying in the way Napa Valley cabernet sets out to be. It's ripe and soft, ready for prime rib.

A rustic red, showing rich, intense flavors centered on dried dark berry, chocolate, cedary oak and dried herb. Ends with chewy tannins.

Marked by deep, delicious flavors of chocolate, blueberries and blackberries, this is a lovely Cabernet to drink now. The tannins are firm, the finish long and spicy. Shows real Napa class.

Fresh, zesty wild berry and raspberry are the core flavors, with touches of spice and licorice. Medium-weight and supple in texture. Drink now through 2017. 20,000 cases made.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON FINALIST. Excellent. Highly recommended.

This is a very good Cabernet. It’s made in a drinkable style, with jammy blackberry, blueberry, and cherry flavors and a sweet, toasty coating of new French oak. Drink this flashy wine now and over the next years.