2019 Rudd Oakville, Samantha's Cabernet Sauvignon, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2019 Samantha's Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 22 months in French oak, 50% of it new.
Deep garnet-purple in color, it prances out with gregarious notes of Morello cherries, warm cassis, and wild blueberries plus suggestions of lavender, damp soil, and charcoal with a waft of dried roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is very tightly knit with loads of red, black, and blue fruit layers, supported by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. 637 cases were made.
Drink 2026-2055
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (June 2022)
Ripe and focused, with subtle underlying energy to the mix of cassis, blackberry and sweet bay leaf notes, which roll through steadily. Picks up singed alder accents on the finish. Solid. 636 cases made.
Drink now - 2036
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
A lovely and soft pure cabernet with currants, hints of cedar, dust, hints of mint, and cherry. Medium to full body, creamy and delicious already. Fruit with tile and dust. Linear and fine tannins. Drink or hold.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (December 2022)
About this WINE
Rudd Oakville Estate
Rudd Estate was founded in 1996 by Leslie Rudd and has become one of Napa Valley's most exciting wineries. This multi-generational operation produces wine in extremely small batches, operating from a site characterized by iconic red volcanic soils. This limited production ensures that the Rudd Estate team can provide complete attention to detail in every bottle.
Although red Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot) are a key focus for the Rudd Estate team, some white grapes are also grown – a rarity in the Oakville area. Many of Rudd Estate's vineyard sites are located across the slopes of Mt. Veeder; this high elevation means they have a refined freshness and elegance not generally associated with the rich, bold wines of Napa Valley.
Samantha Rudd took over the reins of the estate in 2018. She has implemented organic and biodynamic practices across the Rudd Estate winery as a champion. Many of the vineyards are now being farmed with these principles in mind. Innovation is a driving force for Samantha; in 2016, she also introduced the Unlikely Collaborators Residency Programme to Rudd Estate, encouraging individuals with backgrounds in the arts, science, or business to volunteer to collaborate with them.
Napa Valley
North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of ‘cult’ status.
Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:
Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.
Both the “Napa Valley” designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.
Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
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Description
Only the most expressive plots of estate Cabernet Sauvignon make up this wine. The late Leslie Rudd dedicated this wine to his daughter, Samantha, who now owns and runs Rudd Estate. The nose is incredibly intense with a pure focus of blackcurrant. There is also an earthy edge which brings freshness and complexity. The palate is fine and crisp, with a sense of very small berries and juicy fruit. The more air you allow this wine, the more the core fills out – allowing the sweet yet balanced nature of the Cabernet to shine. The tannins relax into smoothness and glide on the palate. This 2019 really grows in the glass and after decanting; it is rather stunning. Drink now to 2038.
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (April 2023)
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