2016 Reserve Claret
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Tasting notes
There are just over 500 cases of the 2016 Reserve Claret, a more Merlot-dominated blend that includes 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. It's similarly hued to the Reserve Cabernet and has a terrific perfume of blackcurrants, black cherries, ground herbs, and black tea as well as a whiff of dark chocolate and new saddle leather. This beauty offers a stunning array of full-bodied richness and depth, building yet ripe tannins, notable purity, and a sense of power without heaviness. It is a fabulously complex Bordeaux blend from Napa/Sonoma that will continue drinking beautifully for another 20 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Claret Reserve is plush, rich and enveloping. Dark cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and rose petal all flesh out in this supple, racy Merlot-based cuvée. Like the straight Merlot, this is a relatively soft and open-knit wine; I would like to see more depth and structure here.
The 2016 Claret Reserve is made up of 68% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot, aged in roughly 50% new oak, with 54% of the fruit from Napa County and 46% from Sonoma County. Deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly builds on the nose from a foundation of warm cassis, red and black plums, mulberries and fresh blackberries into fragrant potpourri, oolong tea, bouquet garni and forest floor notes with wafts of tapenade and truffles. Full-bodied, the palate is completely filled with bold, expressive black fruits and earthy nuances, framed by firm, ripe, rounded tannins and finishing with great length and depth. 558 cases were made.