90 points - BTI 2016 Gold Medal Winner
Today we have an outstanding Malbec from the North East slope of Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley. The good ones tend to be big, dark and inky with aromas of plums and dark ripe berries, fruit forward while maintaining a rustic quality. The palate is typically rich and round, with a long wonderful finish.
Originally a common blending grape and one of the original five main Bordeaux wine varietals, Malbec is now known as the principal red grape of Argentina. It appeared as a grape variety in its own right in the Napa Valley in the 1990's. Malbec typically ripens midway through the growing season and produces small, intensely colored grapes.
The 2013 Maroon Napa Valley Reserve Malbec is dark ruby in color with aromas of ripe blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, wild strawberry, with soft sweet spice, hints of violet and rose on the nose. The palate continues with more raspberry, blackberry candy, strawberry, dried flower, black currant, spice and a hint of white pepper. The finishes is full a lush with tannin, which adds a crushed velvety feel. You'll LOVE this one!
Enjoy with barbecued lamb, beef or pork, anything smokey, etc.
Vintage: 2013
Release Date: November, 2015
Production: 820 cases
Appellation: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 100% Malbec
Alcohol: 14.2%
94 Points
Decadent, rich, and supple. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, crushed stone, dried herbs, and cedar lead into layered notes of cassis, fennel, baked plums, mocha powder, and cigars dusted with roasted Herbs de Provence, earth and red volcanic mineral notes. Full-bodied and rich, with a firm spine of racy acidity and ultra-fine, gravelly tannins that carry the lasting, mouthwatering finish.
93 Points
Aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, and cedar unfold alongside soft notes of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, structured tannins frame layers of black cherry, baking spice, and a subtle herbal lift from the Merlot blended beneath the Cabernet's backbone. Medium-bodied gem with good concentration finishing long and warm, with lingering impressions of cocoa and dried fig.
94 Points
A full-throttle, blackberry-driven red, laden with chalky minerality and layered with robust tannins. Violet scents mingle with fig and plum fruit in a medium- to full-bodied expression that hits all the right chords, delivering a pleasing one-two punch to the senses.
