2016 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 1882
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The base cuvée is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec sourced all from Rutherford. It has a classic, Saint Julien-like bouquet of crème de cassis, tobacco lead, damp earth, and spice that gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated, textured Cabernet that hits all the right marks. The top Rubicon release has a touch more elegant and precision, but this isn't far off. Drink this stunner any time over the coming 20 years or more.
Critic scores
Average Score
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant, polished and nuanced, with lovely inner sweetness and soft contours - both of which give the wine much of its overall immediacy and appeal. Medium in body and caressing, the 2016 has so much to offer. This is an especially accessible, young 2016 that already drinks well.
82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. After four years of drought, a winter with average rainfall was welcome, as it provided ample soil moisture for a strong start to the 2016 growing season. Average late-spring temperatures and limited precipitation minimised the risk of frost during mid-May bloom, ensuring average yields. June closed with a heat spell, slowing vine canopy growth at the ideal time. Harvest 6 September to 10 October. Fresher than the 2015, though the fruit is still damson and cassis on the nose. Plush on the palate, with juicy black fruits and very fine-grained tannins. A seductive fruit-driven wine, but with a line of acidity and freshness that brings it all together nicely. (TP)
Inglenook's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon has turned out beautifully. Savory and exquisitely layered, with striking aromatic nuance, the 2016 has so much to offer. Dark black cherry, tobacco, cedar, grilled herbs and licorice are finely sketched. More than anything else, the 2016 impresses in the way it balances intensity and detail. And of course, it is absolutely delicious too.
About the producer

Inglenook is one of Napa’s oldest wine estates, founded in 1879, but is today owned by Francis Ford Coppola.