WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
Mercury Head is the pinnacle of pure Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley, seen through our eyes. A complex tapestry of the region’ s different microclimates , only the best vineyard blocks and their resulting wines make it into the final blend after numerous trials. For 2022, much of the blend comes from the Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak alongside the Warnock Vineyard close -by. In addition, fruit from the famed Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford rounds out the wine with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from just west of the AVA line at the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard on Moon Mountain. The 2022 Mercury Head sits in the glass with an opaque garnet core and a dark cardinal rim as tinges of purple shimmer from within. The nose is chock -full of aromatics—blue fruits, blackcurrant, licorice, baking spices, lavender and crushed gravel. Paired with a flooding palate with tremendous yet balanced weight, notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, espresso bean and blue and black fruits reverberate . A blueberry reduction coupled with chalky tannins leads to a long finish with hints of Herbs de Provence.
TASTING NOTES:
Winemaker, creative director and founder Dave Phinney says of Mercury Head, "It's the easiest, shortest story-it's just the best [expletive] Cabernet we think we can make in Napa Valley." With fruit derived from several sources, including the Taplin-Lewelling Vineyard across Highway 29 from the Louis Martini winery, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head is gently herbal, with those elements adding complexity to the cassis and black cherry fruit, plus there's a hint of dark chocolate as well. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, this ripe, fruit-driven wine finishes velvety and long.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95pts
Juicy and forward, with boysenberry, açaí and blackberry fruit paste flavors that glide atop the polished structure and are coated with a creamy swath of toast. This will have fans for sure. Drink now through 2032.
- Wine Spectator, 91 pts.
