2017 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Napa Valley Reserve Selection Red, California, USA

TASTING NOTES:

The 2017 Red Blend Reserve is made up of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah and 4% Malbec. It was aged in 24% new French oak and bottled unfiltered. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with flamboyant cedar chest, baking spices and licorice scents over a cassis and plum preserves core with a waft of dried flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with baked blackberries with a finely grained frame, finishing with an invigorating lift.
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 90 pts

A new wine from this team, which is headed up by Stephanie Putnam and consultant Philippe Melka, the 2017 Napa Valley Reserve Red Blend checks in as a kitchen sink blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Malbec. It offers a beautiful complexity and nuance as well as classy notes of blackcurrants, spice box, dried flowers, and leafy herbs. Medium-bodied, with solid Cabernet character, it’s balanced, charming, and delicious.
– Jeb Dunnuck, 90 pts

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:

This 2017 Red Wine is dark purple-black in color with bright red fruit aromas and a touch of spice that springs from the glass. Raspberry, dark cherry and blueberry flavors are met with freshly cracked pepper and anise in this structured wine with a velvety and weighted mouthfeel. This wine has good acidity, firm but, juicy tannins and a lingering finish.

Blend: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 9% Zinfandel, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Malbec