Wine Advisor
Sloan, Proprietary Red 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
Sloan's 2019 Proprietary Red is deep and rich, with scents of dark loam, woodsy notes, hints of cedar and vanilla, plus dark, plummy fruit. It's full-bodied, concentrated, dense and decadently velvety but with a slight dried-fruit character. It's awesome in that idiom but lacks the vibrancy and freshness of the valley's absolute best wines. To this taster, it comes across as impressively complex, concentrated and long but also a bit heavy and warm on the finish. What foods would one pair this with?
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2019 Proprietary Red sports a deep purple-black color, erupting from the glass with powerful scents of crème de cassis, black cherry compote and preserved plums, plus hints of chocolate box, cedar chest and Indian spices, with a waft of menthol. Big, super-rich and super-concentrated, the palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and exotic spices, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length.
About the Producer
Sloan is a leading winery in the Napa Valley region of California, USA. Sloan was founded in 1998 by winegrower Stuart Sloan. Over the next decade, Stuart continued to explore the potential of the vineyards and improve the quality of the wines, and in 2001 hired an all-star production team - winemaking consultant Michel Rolland, winemaker Martha In 2011, Sutong Pan, Chairman of the Goldin Group in Hong Kong, acquired Château Sloane and placed it under the management of his daughter Jenny Pan. After the acquisition, Sutong Pan still employs the same production team to produce the wines for the winery. In addition, Sutong Pan, who had a keen interest in wine, acquired three other prestigious Bordeaux estates: Château Rolland Maillet, Château Bertineau Saint-Vincent and Château Le Bon Pasteur. The Château de la Vieux is one of the most prestigious Bordeaux estates in the world. Château Stoux covers a total of 40 acres, 13 of which were planted in 1997. The vineyards are ideally located on the eastern slopes of Rutherford at 875-990 feet above sea level, with plenty of light. In addition, the cool maritime climate of this region is ideal for growing grapes. The vineyard has mineral-rich porous volcanic and sandy loam soils and is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Currently, Sloan produces only two wines, Sloan Proprietary Red and Sloan Asterisk Red. Since its release, the Sloan Proprietary Red has received much acclaim from the wine press. Notably, the 2002 Sloan Proprietary Red received 100 points from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Advocate, and the 2007 Sloan Proprietary Red received a perfect score from Wine Advocate.
