Tasting notes

Deep, intense dark fruit character, with mineral, violet and earthy truffle complexity, distinguishes our 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. The wine is powerful yet elegant, with beautifully integrated firm, muscular tannins, promising long aging potential. Selected from our finest vineyards, our Napa Valley Reserve captures the complex flavor profile and exquisite balance of the Oakville bench region. The wine was handcrafted in our new To Kalon Fermentation Cellar with traditional techniques, including hand-sorting of the clusters, gravity-flow movement of the must and wine, and fermentation in a traditional oak tank. Sixteen months of aging in new French oak château barrels added vanilla and toasty oak accents. To retain fully this wine’s enormous depth, texture and length of finish, we bottled it without fining or filtration.

Rating

The finest Private Reserve since the 1991, 1990, and 1987, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is extraordinary. There are 8,000 cases of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and small dollops of Merlot as well as Petit Verdot. A perfume of smoke, camphor, creme de cassis, cedar, and fruitcake is accompanied by a gentle giant of a wine. Powerful and impeccably balanced, with outstanding concentration, well-integrated wood, acidity, and tannin, and a long, nearly 60-second finish, this saturated ruby/purple-hued effort is a prodigious example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+.  Robert Parker 94 points (Dec 2003)