| Score: |
98 RP.
"The selection of Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons includes some of the finest AVAs in all of Napa Valley. They are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and all stunning in quality, even the 2014s, which tend to be a front-end loaded but excellent to outstanding vintage with at least 20 years of aging potential in them. From one of the great sites Dave Del Dotto owns on Pritchard Hill, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Villa del Lago (the vineyard sits next to the Bryant Family Vineyard) is another 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% new oak. There are just over 600 cases of this wine, which is one of the more spectacular 2014s, with a soaring nose of spring flowers, blackberry, cassis, camphor, vanillin and graphite. Super-rich and opulent, with a voluptuous texture and great purity, this fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon should age and drink well for 20-25 years. Here’s an insider’s tip for visitors to Napa Valley: Don’t dare miss a tasting at Del Dotto’s cellars. (Dave Del Dotto has two locations, but I’m referring to the one just to the south of St. Helena, right off of Highway 29.) He has a young man by the name of Tony Incontro in charge of their charcuterie, salamis and ham, which are all cured on-site, and offered free when visitors buy a tasting ticket. The quality of these hams and salamis (all from big, hairy Mangalitsa pigs) is absolutely world-class and worth the cost of admission just to get your palate on some of these incredible goodies. Moreover, the wines are special as well. Dave Del Dotto (who made a fortune in the infomercial business) has put together an impressive team of winemakers and spent a fortune securing some of the best vineyard sites money can buy. All things considered, his wines, which he calls “silk juice,” are exceptional in quality, along with his charcuterie, which really could be sold for a small fortune, given the amazing quality it exhibits." Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate #227, Oct 2016 |