2016 Dancing Bear Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch was aged for 22 months in French oak, 60% new. Very deep purple-black colored, it is profoundly scented of crushed blackcurrants, warm blueberries, plum preserves, Black Forest cake and charcoal with nuances of unsmoked cigars, forest floor, truffles and star anise plus wafts of violets and stewed tea. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super intense and yet wonderfully graceful, featuring a beautiful frame of very fine-grained, very firm tannins and bold freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruit and earthy flavors, finishing with epic length and depth. This is simply a stunning expression of one of Napa’s great, great sites—it should age incredibly!
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
I followed the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch for multiple days. This inky colored, magical wine (a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Merlot that spent 22 months in 60% new French oak) offers a huge, thrillingly rich bouquet of crème de cassis, espresso roast, lead pencil shavings, and white chocolate. It's deep, rich, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, yet also pure, elegant, and seamless. This terrific 2016 needs 4-5 years of bottle age to absorb its oak, yet is one of those powerful yet weightless wines that will evolve beautifully. The finest wine I've tasted from this estate, it will flirt with perfection in a few years and should keep for 2-3 decades. Don't miss it!
Cakebread's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch is a powerful, explosive wine. Beams of tannin add grip to play off the super-ripe concentrated black fruit. Hints of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, new leather, cloves and licorice emerge, but only with some reluctance. The 2016 is impressive, but it also needs time for the aromatics to fully develop. There is plenty to look forward to.