2017 Llamas Family Cabernet Sauvignon
2017, Atlas Peak (Stagecoach Vineyard), California , USA
About the Wine
The 2017 harvest wrapped up early this fall following summer heat spurts and a growing season that saw significant rain throughout the state ending a five-year drought. While October wildfires in the Napa Valley and North Coast wine communities made international headlines, Napa County, one of the region's most impacted, fortunately had 90% percent of the harvest already picked and in production at wineries before the fires. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our best wines to date. With a bottling date in October 2020, the wine spent the better part of three years aging in French oak barrels. This aging timeframe has allowed the typically pronounced tannins, resulting from Stagecoach's volcanic terroir, to soften and integrate to perfection.
Tasting Notes
This wine is a deep hued maroon, the color foreshadowing its mouthfeel and density. Ripe, dark cherries, wild strawberries and dried tea leaves dominate the nose. Secondary aromatics of cinnamon, dried blood orange and eucalyptus round out the wine's complex aromatics. On the palate the wine is broad and firm with silky tannins that taper off across the tongue. The aromas of red fruit, herbal tones, dried citrus and tea are echoed on the palate as well. The wine finishes with a long juicy finish thanks to the wine's vibrant acidity. Enjoy this wine now with any of your favorite grilled meats or revisit the wine annually as it evolves over the next 20+ years.