Wine Advisor
Inglenook, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
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Description
If Captain Niebaum was partially responsible for introducing Cabernet Sauvignon to Napa Valley, then John Daniel Jr. was responsible for carrying on his granduncle's tradition of excellence and finessing that varietal to revered status. In honor of Daniel's Cask Wines program that he began in 1949, our estate-bottled vintages from 1995 through 2008 of this grape variety were originally called Cask and bore oak veneer labels. Up until then the wine consisted of 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in American oak barrels. The 2009 vintage, however, saw changes both in name as well as in the production and aging regimen, and now Inglenook's Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Malbec–-depending on the desired profile–-all of which is aged in French oak.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with compelling scents of blackcurrant pastilles, black raspberries and kirsch with suggestions of pencil shavings, wild sage and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is delicately played with a lively backbone and the slightest grip of tannins, finishing long and savory. (Tasted as a barrel sample.)
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black raspberries, black plums and blackcurrant pastilles, plus hints of underbrush and bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied with intense, pure black fruit flavors, the fruit is well-framed by ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with a skip in its step.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
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.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
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.
About the Producer
Inglenook's Chateau winery is completed. Conceived to be a state-of-the-art facility, the Chateau's design is based on gravity-flow, one of the first of its type in Napa Valley, and includes an early form of rebar—using cable from cable-cars in San Francisco—to stave off earthquake tremors and to help the building shift safely during the crush process. True to his fastidious nature in each step of the winemaking process, Niebaum devises California's first grape-sorting table and also installs the state's first bottling line to ensure the wines' provenance from growth to bottle, the latter always bearing the California Pure Wine Stamp and secured with an intricate wire maze to guarantee the wine's integrity.
