ROBERT PARKER REVIEW: There are 1,600 cases of the 1999 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Proprietary Red. It is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine boasts both an impressive opaque purple color and bouquet of creme de cassis, roasted coffee, melted chocolate, toasty oak, licorice, and creosote. It is full-bodied, thick, and rich, with brooding but well-integrated tannin under all the flesh and density. It will undoubtedly firm up (particularly in a cold cellar), and last for 15+ years.

STEVE TANZAR RATING: 93

STEVE TANZAR REVIEW: Saturated red-ruby. Thoroughly ripe aromas of black raspberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, minerals, tar and sexy oak. Sweet, dense and concentrated, with a strong mineral underpinning and excellent grip. Finishes very long and ripe, with big, tongue-dusting tannins. A superb showing.

WINE SPECTATOR RATING: 92

WINE SPECTATOR REVIEW: A big, rich, intensely flavored wine with complex flavors and ripe tannins. The core of currant, kirsch, black cherry, coffee and anise is accented by beefy, leathery nuances and chewy tannins. Needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Description

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Jericho Canyon, a sun swept basin at the northern end of Napa Valley, provides a perfect environment for growing red Bordeaux grape varieties, all painstakingly planted on steep terraces. While northern Napa is known for its summer heat, a gap in the Mayacamas Range allows cooling winds to create temperatures at this vineyard similar to those found at Rudd's home vineyard in Oakville, farther south. This temperate climate is particularly conducive to producing a wine of great elegance and finesse. The poor, volcanic subsoils provide excellent drainage and naturally limit this vineyard's yield. Harvest 1999 was even longer than 1998. The Jericho Canyon grapes were hand-selected during a five-week period beginning the last week in September and ending on the 3rd of November. As a result of this extended hang time the intensity of the fruit is beautifully balanced with fully ripe tannins. The wine was aged in barrel for 14 months and then bottled, without fining or filtration, in July 2001.

Product Specifications