97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2016 Cabernet Franc Nathan Coombs Estate is deep garnet-purple colored and a little youthfully mute, opening out to reveal redcurrant jelly, kirsch and blackberry preserves plus hints of pencil shavings, cigar box and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rich, solid frame of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness lifting the red and black fruit to a long savory finish.

96pts James Suckling

This is a big and mouth-filling wine with masses of tannins and rich fruit. Full body, dark-blueberry character and a long, flavorful finish. Tannin driven, this needs a lot of time to come around. Try after 2022.

95pts Wine Spectator

Dark and winey, with a densely packed core of steeped açaí berry and blueberry reduction flavors, wrapped in singed cedar and alder notes, ending with a swath of tobacco and fruit on the finish. The tannins are a touch burly at the very end, but that's Coombsville structure. The ample fruit and drive should win this fans. A good candidate to age. Best from 2022 through 2036.

Winemaker Notes

This is the fifth vintage offering of this wine that was one of the first to carry the Coombsville name on itslabel. True to its site tucked in the southeast corner of Napa Valley, the wine reveals a deep purple rimsurrounding an opaque core while an abundance of aromas emerge from dark chocolate and cigar leaf toblackcurrant and marinated black olives. An intensely structured palate of cassis, coriander, and dark cherrypossess firm tannins amongst a backdrop of balanced acidity that brings tension and focus. The finish iseverlasting bolstered by a crushed rock minerality that confers the site’s inherent rocky volcanic soils.