98pts Tasting Panel

Sinewy and tense, its dusty raspberry-skin tannins melding with a rich, mineral core. Engaged with dried lavender, jasmine and a hint of iron, the wine boasts a juicy nature, revealing black cherry washing over spiced cedar.

96pts Jeb Dunnuck

From a site in Rutherford, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Decarle Block has a deeper, richer, broader style, with chocolaty red and black fruits, spicy oak, and savory, floral aromas and flavors. It's gorgeously textured and medium to full-bodied, with ripe, velvety tannins and just about flawless balance. This is a killer 2023 that can be drunk any time over the coming two decades or more. Drink 2025-2045.

94pts Wine Enthusiast

Aromas of black plum, blackberry, pencil shavings, and cracked pepper drive the nose of this wine. The palate is decadent but bright, with plush tannin and juicy acid framing flavors of roasted cherry, dark berry, malted cocoa, licorice, mint, and cinnamon that echo across a long finish.

93pts Wine Spectator

Inky in aroma and color, this offers a dense, deep core of black currant and blackberry compote flavors laced with warm earth, roasted cedar and tobacco. Tilts a touch more toward fleshy and flattering than your typical Rutherford Cab, with the fruit powering through on the lengthy finish, but that iron note is buried, too. Best from 2028 through 2040.

Winemaker Notes

The 2023 DeCarle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, from the western Rutherford bench, captivates with aromas of rose petal, black currant, and espresso. This texture-driven wine offers a nice core of concentrated dark fruit flavors, enhanced by firm, chewy tannins. The vineyard’s strict leafing procedures and overhead sprinklers ensured optimal performance during the warm growing season, allowing for fine-tuning and focusing on specific blocks, resulting in less quantity but higher quality. The wine’s balanced acidity and structured tannins promise excellent aging potential.