95pts Wine Enthusiast

Polished and perfumed, this elegant wine drinks easily now but has the balance and quiet concentration to help it improve for several years. Lush black cherries, black currants and blueberries fill the palate, buoyed on moderate tannins and spiced with toast, cinnamon and cedar notes from oak barrels. Blended with 8% Malbec.

Winemaker Notes

The name Lion Tamer has become our nickname for Malbec because we use this grape as a blending variety to tame powerful tannins. 

Supple tannins surround the palate. Layers of juicy black currant, dark plum and hints of espresso, with well-integrated notes of baking spice. Effortlessly bold.

Vintage Notes

Every vintage and harvest presents a unique set of obstacles, and we approach every year ready to face the challenge. Vintage 2019 began with occasional rains and cooler temperatures, which brought soil saturation and allowed fruit to mature steadily. Summer helped the grapes to ripen, and the warm days and cool nights of the Fall fostered gradual sugar accumulation and longer hang times. Harvest began slightly later than normal in some areas, with fruit picked at its peak, promising exceptional flavor in bottle.

Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah