“The entry effort is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Il Barone and it spent 18 months in French oak prior to bottling. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Medium to full body, medium round tannins and a flavorful finish. “This is a flamboyant and attractive wine with dark berries and tangerine undertones. Drink 2019 – 2039.” ♦ 93 Points – James Suckling It falls into the pretty, elegant end of the spectrum, yet it still has fabulous intensity and length.

This medium to full-bodied, elegant, beautifully polished effort is perfectly balanced, has no hard edges, and offers a great finish. “Leading off with the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Il Barone, which is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 7% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot, it reveals a saturated purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of sweet crème de cassis, blueberries, exotic flowers, orange blossom, and subtle background oak. Full-bodied, concentrated, and packed with black fruit and savory layers, it has a rock-solid, grainy frame and just enough freshness to lift the long finish. “A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with small splashes of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Il Barone is deep purple-black in color and has quite an earthy/savory nose to begin, revealing notions of black truffles, char-grilled meats, black olives and cumin seed over a core of crème de cassis and stewed plums. ♦ 95 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate The palate is a succulent, luscious array of ripe dark berries and plums with chocolate, too. “This has impressively ripe, rich and composed aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and spiced fruit bread. Best through 2032.” – Jim Gordon ♦ 92 Points – James Suckling Tempting oak spices from cinnamon and nutmeg to toast and graphite come up in the aroma and coast all the way through the finish. “This big, plush, black-fruited wine is the top of the line for Napa Valley’s “castle winery.” It has a soft power, wrapping superfine tannins around deep, dark blueberries and black-currant flavors that saturate the palate with ripeness.

It’s another brilliant wine in this lineup.” ♦ 94 Points, Cellar Selection – Wine Enthusiast Magazine “The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Il Barone (there’s 5% Merlot in the blend) is a selection geared to be a rich, powerful wine and it succeeds admirably, offering full-bodied richness and depth, awesome tannin quality, no hard edges, and a complex notes of black and blue fruits, Asian spices, chocolate, and earthy, forest floor nuances.

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