Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and nearly equal portions of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot.
The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon has been a foundational wine for more than five decades. It is a benchmark for the long-lived hillside wines of the Napa Valley, full of structure and aging potential, yet seductively forward in its concentrated varietal character. The dry, rocky soils of Pritchard Hill produce small, intensely flavorful grapes. Crop thinning allows for full, even ripening and elevates flavor complexity.
Review:
Nine different Cabernet clones joined forces for the 2022 Signature, a wine designated in what the winery offers only in extraordinary vintages. The final blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, includes Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot in small quantities. Luscious, as expected, a bath of puréed black cherries and milk chocolate match with teeth-coating plum skin tannins. Spiced red tea, Italian herbs, and a trace of cinnamon-cedar are left behind on the long, silky finish. - The Tasting Panel, July/August 2025
-Tasting Panel 97 Points
Charles Krug Family Reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
Rising 1,650 feet above the Napa Valley floor on the southwestside of Howell Mountain, the Family Reserve Howell MountainCabernet Sauvignon sits above the fog line. The distinctiveclimate, along with volcanic and iron-rich red soils, producefruit with great balance and intensity.
Review:
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Release Cold Springs is the most distinctive of the wines in this range of limited-release Cabernets from Charles Krug. Gravel, licorice, menthol and spice all develop in a Howell Mountain Cabernet endowed with tremendous class and nuance.
-Vinous 92 Points
Charles Krug Peter Mondavi Family Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Review:
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection has a deep garnet-purple color and features exuberant notes of crushed black cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant cordial with touches of unsmoked cigars, menthol, yeast extract and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, concentrated and opulent in the mouth, it has a solid line of plush tannins and plenty of backbone freshness to lift the generous fruit to a long fruity finish.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Charles Smith K Vintners Powerline Estate Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Friendly, approachable and vivacious, yet also dark and mysterious. Black cherry, allspice, black ash, and orange blossom. Thyme and flint with ark fruit, cedar, kelp, black pepper, juniper, crushed rock, and tons of complex floral notes. Fear not, embrace it.
While just bottled a week before this tasting, the 2019 Syrah Powerline Vineyard certainly wasn't showing any worse for it, offering a stunning bouquet of ripe red and black fruits as well as white pepper, sandalwood, tobacco, and new leather. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and vibrant, with supple, polished tannins, this brilliant Syrah is going to keep for 10-12 years, if not longer.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Chateau Arnauds des Bordeaux Rouge is made from 100% Merlot.
The wine shows a deep red purple color and intense aromas of black fruits (blackcurrant, black cherry) with hints of liquorice. Very fruity and well-balanced. It is powerful and well structured in the mouth with round and silky tannins, ripe flavors of black fruits. Strong and a slightly spicy finish.
Grapes are coming from 30 year old vines planted on gravelly soils.
The land benefits from sun exposure, warmth and humidity that are strong assets for the vine culture.
The wine pairs well with game meat and beef on the grill.
Chateau Batailley Grand Cru is made from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot & 1% Cabernet Franc.
Château Batailley is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced at the estate was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
Garnet-purple colour. Rich and expressive nose, fruity with notes of spices, smoke and vanilla. On the palate, this wine is supple, round, well balanced, with good acidity, a nice fruitiness and nice notes of leather and cedar. Long elegant finish.
Review:
The 2010 Batailley repeated its magnificent showing when poured at the chateau. It has a detailed bouquet of blackberry and cedar, quite backward and seemingly having advanced lite since | tasted in in April 2016. The palate remains full of tension and brimming with energy, delivering classic cedar and tobacco notes toward the persistent finish. Batailley can produce wines that live many decades, and this is clearly one of them. Tasted at the property. Drink 2020-2050
- Neal Martin Vinous 95 Points
Aalto P.S. Pagos Seleccionados Tinto is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Climatic conditions
The farming year began with a mild autumn and little precipitation. A very dry winter started with -9ºC reaching at the end higher temperatures than normal for that time of the year. Spring and summer characterized by little rain, only some rain showers in July and late August avoided the hydric stress of the vines. The vegetative cycle of the vine developed with big variations of temperatures, alternating warm and atypical low temperatures of 4ºC for mid-June. The ripening of the grapes happened under very good conditions and the harvest started on 24th September 2019.
100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) primarily from very old vines – 60 to 90 years old – from selected plots in La Horra and La Aguilera. The harvest was done by hand, in small boxes of 15 kilos that are thoroughly inspected, bunch by bunch, on the selection table.
Tasting notes
Review:
Color: dark cherry, Aroma: toasty, spicy, fine cocoa, black fruit, Mouth: tasty, toasty, fine bitterness, ripe tannins
Guia Penin 94 Points
A fresh, wild, and savory expression with vibrant acidity and an elegant structure. Earth-laced fruit aromas of blackberry bramble, dark cherry, and huckleberry seamlessly intertwine with savory hints of curry leaves and lobster mushrooms, accented by subtle notes of dried orange peel and baking spices. Earthy and floral elements—forest floor, conifer needles, and rose hips—carry through to the palate, beautifully integrated with effusive raspberry and cherry notes, leading to a long, spicy finish.
This impressive Pinot is polished and detailed, offering dynamic flavors of raspberry and blueberry, with mineral and brown baking spice hints that build richness toward fine-grained tannins.
#11 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2025