Product Overview
Winemaker's Notes:
"Guided by the vintage character of each year, Cardinale assembles the distinctive flavors and personality of individual Napa Valley appellations into a richly layered, balanced whole. The final blend of the 2019 Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was born from eight appellations, eleven vineyards, and 32 individual wine lots. With its great primary fruit characters, but also tons of rose petal, cedar, espresso bean, and pain grillé, the 2019 vintage has a compelling savory aspect– a perfect frame for the intense, dark fruit of the mountains. Whether I’m at home in my kitchen blending spice rubs or crafting Cardinale, having a rich array of uniquely different components available to combine is a true joy, and I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do." -Christopher Carpenter
Varietal Composition: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot
Appellation: Napa Valley AVA
Winemaker: Chris Carpenter
97+ Points - Vinous
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most finessed wines I have ever tasted here. That seems to be the direction Chris Carpenter is pursuing of late. So more than a vintage or place (Cardinale is a blend of hillside and valley floor sites) what comes through is the wine's finesse. Floral overtones lift a core of red cherry fruit, pomegranate and blood orange. I imagine the 2019 will enjoy a long life based on its spectacular balance." -AG, Sep/2021
96 Points - Wine Advocate
"The 2019 Cardinale is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, with the Merlot from a particular block on Howell Mountain. Overall, it's about 80% mountain fruit and 20% valley-floor fruit, according to winemaker Chris Carpenter. Cherries and cassis dominate the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and velvety, with a long, mouthwatering finish that adds barrel-derived notes of vanilla, powdered sugar and cedar." -JC, 5/31/22
95 Points - Wine Spectator
"An inviting, fruit-driven style, with a gorgeous display of plum puree and blackberry confiture pumping along, flanked with licorice and apple wood and kept honest with a loamy accent through the finish. Polished in feel overall, but that belies the serious grip. Drink now through 2036. 5,100 cases made." -JM, 11/15/22
