WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
The 2020 Knights Valley Reserve is full of richness and depth, with a very present, earthy minerality. The nose and palate are full of ripe red currant, black cherry, and blackberries. The fruit is vibrant and juicy, supported by warmer spiced notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and clove from well-integrated oak aging. The texture is silky and plush with a fine-grained, softer mouthfeel and velvety, polished tannins that lead to a long finish with dark concentrated black plum, alongside notes of black pepper and anise. The dense core of dark fruit carries the wine while an underlying brightness of acidity runs throughout. Drinking beautifully upon release but certain to age with grace for many years to come.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot
TASTING NOTES:
Very pretty depth with a tile and rock-like texture to this. Minerally. Redcurrant. Medium to full body. Juicy finish. Needs two or three years to soften and come together.
-James Suckling, 94 pts.
I think this is first time we've rated a Knights Valley Reserve ahead of the Private Reserve. Selected from rockier bits of the vineyards, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Knights Valley features aromas of black cherries and red raspberries, offering a vastly different and more interesting fruit profile than the regular Knights Valley bottling. Dark chocolate-mocha notes, vanilla and cedar bring additional complexity to the mix. This medium to full-bodied wine is ripe, plush and long on the finish, with two decades of deliciousness ahead of it.
-Wine Advocate, 93 pts.
