Wine Advisor
Inglenook, Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
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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: Joe Czerwinski
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon stands out for being virtually equal to the Rubicon at a fraction of the price. While moderately less complex, it delivers waves of black cherries without any of the vintage's characteristic coarseness. Instead, it's medium to full-bodied, supple-creamy in feel and long, with a fine dusting of a cocoa powder making an appearance on the finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is potent and brooding in feel. According to winemaker Chris Phelps there is no smoke taint in the 2020, but there is no getting past the harsh tannins and a harsh mouthfeel that is out of context, even for wines that were bottled in 2020. The finish is compact and aggressive. There is little pleasure to be found here, unfortunately.
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.
