Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Most of the fruit for this wine comes from Ggrich’s dry-farmed Yountville vineyard, which went biodynamic the year before. The remainder of the fruit was sourced from the estate’s organic parcels in Rutherford and Calistoga. This is a classic Bordeaux-blended wine, apparently made with little intervention. The red fruit, which has some sweetness and some dried qualities, is in check, in that it’s perfectly ripe without being over-blown. There is a touch of mint and dried herbs in the nose. The wine is nearly perfectly balanced with beautiful acidity, and a bit of astringency on a long read more...finish. Hold onto it for a year to allow it to settle down and then drink it over the next dozen years. The alcohol, listed at 14.7 percent, is not a factor here. The wine spent 21 months in French oak, 60 percent of which was new. There were about 14,000 cases produced.    (hide)

Wine Tasting NotesNicely balanced between fruit and tannin, this elegant wine is rich with aromas of black cherry, crushed rose petals and cocoa powder. This full bodied wine goes well with roasted meats, grilled Portobello mushrooms or a firm cows milk cheese such as Edam or Gouda.

January 2009

Nicely balanced between fruit and tannin, this elegant wine is rich with aromas of black cherry, crushed rose petals and cocoa powder.

September 2009

Our Yountville vineyard, which we began farming biodynamically in 2003, supplies the main body of our Napa Valley blend. Nicely balanced between fruit and tannin, this elegant wine is rich with aromas of black cherry, crushed rose petals and cocoa powder. This full bodied wine goes well with roasted meats, grilled Portobello mushrooms or a firm cow's milk cheese such as Edam or Gouda. An early spring and a warm summer created perfect growing conditions for one of theearliest harvests we've had in 10 years. This produced a small crop of fully-ripe grapes with wonderful concentration read more...and deep flavors. The Cabernet from our Yountville vineyard is the Inglenook clone on St. George rootstock. These dry farmed vines have pushed their roots deep into the rocky soil, which creates intensely flavored grapes. Our organically grown Rutherford and Calistoga vineyards also contribute to the blend to create a true Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.    (hide)

The Wine News rating: 94

The Wine News rating: 90