Willowcroft Cabernet Franc 2016

J Lohr Signature Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Cabernet Franc 6% Saint Macaire 4% Petit Verdot 4% Malbec.

1,600 three-bottle cases, bottled June 201

J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced to honor the 80th birthday of founder Jerry Lohr. This limited release was specially selected and blended from the exceptional 2016 vintage in Paso Robles. It is both a tribute to Jerry's pioneering efforts in the region and our red wine portfolio's ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. VINEYARDS & CELLAR Beck Vineyard, in the Creston District of Paso Robles, is a unique, high elevation site that sits at 1,700 feet above the early morning fog line. Its calcareous soils and cooling afternoon winds are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit, and phenolic maturity. Incorporation of Cabernet Franc brings freshness to the blend, while the rare Bordeaux variety, Saint Macaire, brings density and a savory character. Petit Verdot and Malbec add structure, color, and a component of bright fruit. The hand-harvested grapes were held separate at harvest and berry-sorted into six-ton open top tanks for fermentation. Maceration took place on the skins for five days, before early pressing to achieve ideal tannin extraction. Aged 19 months in 100% new French oak from coopers Nadalie and Sylvain.

Review:

"Dense in the glass, this top-tier Cabernet Sauvignon includes small additions of Saint-Macaire, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Elegant layers of black currant, black cherry, milk chocolate and cappuccino show on the nose. An expertly chiseled structure is immediately apparent on the palate, where rich and deep yet balanced flavors of black cherry cream and mocha latte prove luxurious." - Wine Enthusiast 97 Points

Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2020

All the grapes come from their Cottage Lane Vineyard on the mid-slopes of the Helderberg. This vineyard is situated on the crest of a ridge (320m above sea level) so has aspects ranging from East through North to West. It is very exposed resulting in small vines with low yields. This has allowed them to make a relatively fine grained Cabernet, but the clay soils translate to a wine with power, tension and fresh acidity.

Rich crimson red color. The nose is a complex mix of savoury notes: crushed herbs, violets, sandalwood, leather and some lovely bright red fruit. The palate is fine and yet powerful. Lush spicy red fruit is complimented by blueberry and bramble notes. Powerful tight-knit tannin and a very linear acidity afford the wine a long succulent finish. Drink 2017-2030

All grapes used in producing their wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Small parcels of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently and naturally in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 22 months maturing in 225 Litre French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration. They produced just 3654 bottles. The wine was bottle matured in the Keermont cellar for a further 18 months before release.

Review:

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc and spent 22 months in seasoned French oak. It has a classy bouquet of expressive red berry fruit, cedar and light undergrowth aromas that leans toward the Left Bank. The palate is medium-bodied with great sapidity right from the start. The tannins are extremely fine here, and the finish fans out gloriously with just enough bite to tempt you back for another sip. This is an outstanding Cabernet from winemaker Alex Starey. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 95 pts

Trione Cabernet Sauvignon Block 21 is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Aged 18 Months in French oak barrels (45% new)

Our Block 21 Cabernet is a single vineyard selection from the Trione Cloverdale Ranch, located on the western flank of the Mayacamas Mountains, in the northern portion of Alexander Valley. The vines, planted in 2001 with Bordeaux clone 337, grow in clay and sandy loam soils underlain with a high percentage of gravel. Cabernet Sauvignon grown in this ideal terroir develops deep, concentrated flavors and fine, smooth tannins.

Aromatic entry filled with hints of clove, allspice and nutmeg. The impression on the palate is soft, with silky tannins and lingering hints of mocha and cedar cigar box. Also present are the fruit profiles of plum, currant, blueberries and boysenberry. The finish is long and persistent which shows the beautiful balance of tannin/acidity/oak in the structure. This wine is showing the benefit of barrel and bottle age and is drinking perfectly now and will age gracefully for the next 5-10 years.

Review:

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Block 21 has a medium ruby color and ripe red and black fruits on the nose accented by vanilla, tobacco, dried herbs and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate has well-managed ripeness and mineral-laced fruits in a grainy, fresh frame and with a long finish. This is a fresh style that's approachable right out of the gate. - Erin Brooks"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (August 2020), 91 pts

Full-bodied elegant red wine with nuances of rich berry fruit & soft oak on the finish. Our pinnacle estate red is meticulously blended by a professional panel of respected palates.

Willowcroft Assemblage Select is made from 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot. 

Malo-Lactic fermentation.
Fermented and aged for 18 months in a mix of French and American Oak barrels.
It was slightly filtered before bottling.

This Petit Verdot was originally planted to be a blending component, but the end result was so delicious, it has been bottled as a "single varietal".

Deep color, intense flavor.

Willowcroft Petit Verdot 82% Petit Verdot and 18% Merlot.
Planted on silty Loam soils.
Malo-Lactic fermentation.
Fermented and aged for 12 months in French, Hungarian and American Oak barrels.
It was slightly filtered before bottling.

Argot Starstruck Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot (15-25 years old)

Sourcing from vineyards scattered throughout Napa Valley’s spectrum of terroirs, this wine arrives in the glass with a great complexity of personality. Remaining true to last vintage’s bottling, 2016’s Starstruck pours a vibrant purple, offering vibrant aromatics, regal structure and great freshness. Where this bottling has evolved, is by way of Sage Ridge’s warmer, up-valley, higher elevation, red-fruited power, which bolsters the dark blue/purple, cool-fruited character of the other three, cooler-climate Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. Further, the addition of Merlot has added a wonderful juiciness in both flavor and structure. A palate’s tour of Napa Valley’s myriad terroir — sunbaked ridgetops; forested hillsides; orange-soils; cooling, maritime winds; dense, fog-shrouded mornings. While 2016 keeps with the theme from previous vintages, new flourishes have been added to the mix — a warmer, up-valley vineyard, along with a dollop of Merlot — to up the ante. This cuvee opens to an alluring approach-ability, vibrance, and kiss of juiciness, by way of baked red pie-fruits. On a beam of blood orange accents, a powerfully precise delineation of intense dark fruits flushes out the palate. A singularly delicious and complex representation of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley, that begs to be devoured.

Sourced from four Napa Valley vineyards — Suscol Ranch’s orange, iron-laden soils; Sugarloaf West’s fiercely steep hillside; Sugarloaf East’s south-facing, ferociously rocky “soils”; Sage Ridge’s geographically dramatic ridgetop vineyard in far-eastern Napa. CRUSH: Hand-harvested at night, to protect fruit integrity — Sage Ridge, 9/12, 9/26; Sugarloafs and Suscol, 10/13. Cluster sorted, destemmed, berry sorted by hand, fully crushed. FERMENT: 7-day cold soaks, an average of 20 days skin contact. Individual vineyards raised separately, blended shortly before bottling. AGING: 20 months in French oak, 80% new. Suscol Ranch barrels racked once at twelve months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered.

Review:

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Starstruck is a step up and offers more density and depth, as well as the classic purity of fruit that makes this vintage so compelling. Ripe, powerful notes of blueberries, cassis, green tobacco, and graphite all flow to a full-bodied Cabernet that has loads of fruit, ripe tannins, good acidity, and the class to evolve for upwards of two decades. Bravo!" - Jeb Dunnuck (January 2019), 94 pts