2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve "Profile"
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The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 72% new French oak. It has a vivid ruby plum hue as well as a great nose of cassis and framboise intermixed with sappy flowers, graphite, and some tobacco notes. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, with ripe tannins, and a great finish, it's a killer example of this cuvée.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Dunn's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon includes 23% Cabernet Franc. Sourced from Oak Knoll (45%), Howell Mountain (37%), Napa Valley (12%) and Yountville (6%), it was bottled in May 2024 after 30-plus months in 72% new French oak, and it offers up expressive aromas of cedar, cassis, blueberries, pine and sage. It's medium to full-bodied, silky textured and reasonably supple. Sure, it still shows some tannins on the finish, but this is one Dunn offering that seems almost approachable on release.
Dunn’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) hits the palate with waves of inky dark fruit, mocha, leather and spice. This is an especially overt style for Dunn. Then again, the Napa Valley Cabernet is designed to offer more early approachability than the top wines here. All this needs is a bit of time in bottle for the French oak to integrate further. Readers will find a dense, almost shockingly rich wine from Randy and Mike Dunn. Hints of graphite, sage, menthol and licorice kick on the long, beautifully persistent finish. A dollop of Cabernet Franc adds aromatic presence, something Randy Dunn quietly did in this wine in the past. The Napa Valley Cabernet is mostly from the estate, with a bit of purchased fruit from sites in Yountville and Oakville.