Notes from the Winery

“The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is carefully blended to give power and balance. We appreciate the opportunity to use high elevations (Baker Vineyard in Atlas Peak is at 1,200 ft.) with their intense tannins and color, then blend and civilize them with vineyards from the valley floor and cooler areas. 2021 had many hot spells all the way into October, so the sugars outran the tannins in development. The unevolved tannins had to be softened with Merlot and Malbec, and even the Petit Verdot had softer tannins than the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big intense wine from a low crop fast ripening drought year, but we are all lion tamers at Hill Family Estate, and we are sure this wine will be enjoyed for years to come. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon displays aromas of ripe berries, cassis, and mocha. Rich fruit and ripe tannins define the style of this wine.”

93 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon stands out for its superb value. A blend of Atlas Peak and valley-floor fruit, it offers up scents of cassis, pencil shavings and blackberries on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is rich, supple and concentrated, finishing long, tannic and a bit chewy but ripe. If popping a cork soon, pair it with rare red meat to help tame the youthful tannins, but don’t think that it has to be cellared.”

90 Points Jeb Dunnuck – “Ripe black fruits, ripe herbs, scorched earth, and graphite notes all emerge from the Hill Family’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, a medium-bodied effort displaying the vintage’s dense, concentrated mid-palate, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. Made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest nearly equal parts Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, it’s a classic, balanced, satisfying Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the coming 10-12 years.”