2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Treva's Vineyard Very Special Reserve
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
From the northern end of Napa Valley, literally in the shadow of Mt. St. Helena, this hillside Cabernet Sauvignon made by winemaker Mark Herold reveals a loamy, earthy, almost gritty style with a dense purple color, a full-bodied, chewy mouthfeel, and lots of plum, licorice, black currant and Chinese black tea-like notes. Fleshy and full, but not showing as much complexity as I would have thought when I first tasted it, this is a big, brooding, formidably endowed wine that should develop even further in another 4-5 years. Its impressive length and texture give high hopes for future development. Tel. (707) 942-1513
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(15.3% alcohol) Medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines cassis, black cherry, tobacco leaf, flowers and a minty topnote. Supple and sweet but grapey and primary; this tastes like a barrel sample. A firmly tannic wine that takes a long time to open up in the glass. (This six-acre vineyard in Calistoga is planted in three blocks, which are harvested over an extended period. Treva's is picked first.)