2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Aromas & Flavors
The 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of cassis, black pepper and fresh floral notes. Flavors of dark chocolate-covered blueberries, cherry cola, brandied cherries and raspberry puree on the palate. Integrated, silky tannins with just a bit of oak influence lead to a long, round finish.
Vintage Notes
The 2019 Growing Season started with an abundance of rainfall and late soil moisture. The long, warm summer saw very extreme heat events, with foggy mornings setting the stage for vibrant and expressive wines. The long, relatively mild finish to the season helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with abundant hang time teasing out great color, structure and soft tannins. Yields were average to a little below average. All in all, exceptional fruit with bright acidity and ample texture promises and amazing vintage.
Winemaker’s Notes
The base of our 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is from the world-renowned Rutherford appellation, which is home to our Abela and Franklin estate vineyards. Perfect climatic conditions and the region’s deep, loamy, well-drained soils produce dark, intensely flavored Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Our rich soil sets the foundation for an exquisite, cellar ready wine that will evolve in character and quality for years to come.
Specs
Blend: 89.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Merlot
Aging: 18 months in French and American oak barrels
Three Generations Committed to 100% Sustainable Viticulture and the Crafting of Fine Wines.
Rutherford Wine Company is family-owned and managed with a portfolio of wines representing the rich diversity of California’s outstanding appellations. Today, the portfolio includes Rutherford Ranch Winery (Napa Valley), Round Hill, Scott Family Estate (Arroyo Seco), Lander-Jenkins Vineyards, Predator (Lodi), Rhiannon, Silver Buckle, and extensive Private Label offerings.
The company is based at Rutherford Ranch Winery, in Napa Valley’s Rutherford District - one of the region’s most renowned sub-appellations. The winery and estate vineyards are certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. The critically acclaimed wines have been characterized as one of Napa’s great values by noted wine writer Robert Parker.
The winery received the ‘Family Owned Winery of the Year’ Award at the 2012 New York International Wine Competition. Rutherford Ranch Winery was named ‘Napa Winery of the Year’ at the 2013 NYIWC.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - $70 = 25.99%
Decanter decanted a bit and had this to say:
91 points. Fragrant blackberry, liquorice, graphite and oak. The same fruit profile envelops the palate, adding to it wild herbs, dusty tannins and tangy blood orange-like acidity, which leads to a tart finish. Sees 18 months of ageing in French and American oak.
Suckling:
90 points. A pretty nose of blackberries,
blackcurrants, cooked cherries,
rosemary and thyme with dried spices.
It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins.
Rich and punchy with sweet fruit. Drink from 2023 9/4/21
WE was enthusiastic:
93 points. A flint and gunpowder nose leads to bold graphite, blueberry and tobacco flavors in this full-bodied wine that is laced with a high level of fine-grained tannins. This wine is meant for aging, being so tightly packed with fruits and minerals and having the structure to keep it fresh while more complex flavors develop over time. Best from 2028–2038. — Jim Gordon 4/1/23 (mentions a release price of $70)
Reverse Wine Snob just had this up a couple of weeks ago at $22/bottle for three bottles (yes a little retail hyperbole) …
This is an amazing opportunity for Cab lovers and especially Napa Cab lovers to stock up on a phenomenal wine with a very long drinking window.
Aged 18 months in French and American oak, this wine normally retails for $70 a bottle!
This is a legit SRP too as the wine is normally only available through the winery at the SRP, but even when it’s been out at retail the lowest price we’ve ever seen it at is $50 a bottle. (This wine is also not to be confused with the regular, non-Reserve wine, which typically sells for around $40 — which is still almost twice the price of our deal on this Reserve blend!)
Wine Enthusiast rates the 2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at 93 points with a drinking window of 2028 to 2038. We don’t think you have to wait that long to drink it but we do agree it will last until 2038. We scored it even a bit higher at 94+ points (Perfect 10 Taste Rating).
The 2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with an intoxicating aroma of dark fruit, spice and vanilla plus touches of chocolate, mint, cedar, pencil lead, graphite and more. You find something new every time you take a sniff!
The wine tastes deep, tannic and chewy right now and has tons of structure. It’s absolutely delicous with similar flavors to the nose and lots of well integrated spice. This one has a long life ahead of it!
It ends dry, quite long and grippy and was just as good on day 2. This is a stellar example of Napa Valley Cabernet that can age and even improve for at least another 10 years. Stock up Napa Caba lovers! 1/19/26
Jeb Dunnuck, not so enthusiastic:
85 points. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is more medium-bodied and straightforward and is slightly dominated by oak. JD 5/4/22
Wine Advocate:
89 points. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve features attractive cedar, cassis and vanilla aromas, but this full-bodied effort is also open-knit and slightly coarse in texture, finishing a bit short. Drink 2022-2030 Joe Czerwinski 5/31/22
@ratnikov my gut says a pretty solid bottle with a few years of bottle age at $15… rws was a recent taste and yeah there is that retail enthusiasm but he’s usually straightforward for the most part, my humble
@kaolis i just bought 6 bottles at Reverse Wine Snob and uts arriving tomorrow!. Wish it came yesterday so i could try it. My research showed it was a very good value based on opinions and pricing.
The fact that the owners are Croatian who started out in NY was the cherry on top.
Labrat checking in! Sorry, there were some delays in delivery of the bottle, then I had a misunderstanding that it was going live tonight (Saturday), not last night. Luckily for all of you, we had it with dinner last night.
Without further ado…
The wine arrived late Thursday night. As always, thanks much to the casemates and WCC crew for the opportunity! Was pleasantly surprised that this is a 2019 vintage and rather excited to try it.
The bottle is very nice looking, printing directly on the bottle, it has a foil capsule and real cork.
The wine itself is a beautiful medium purple, no signs of bricking.
Given the age and the fact that it was noted as reserve cabernet with Napa appellation, I decided to pour half a glass into the wine glass to try as a quick pop and pour, and poured the rest into the decanter.
Immediate impression straight from the glass was that this was a well crafted cab, if a bit tight. The decanter was a good idea. Medium to full body. Large tannins, though not green nor sharp, and some muted dark fruits.
Aromas of dark cherry with hints of vanilla and sweet spice.
After 10 minutes of the decanter, the wine really opened up beautifully. With additional complexities of dark fruits and leather, strong vanilla, and the tanning integrating nicely into the rest of the experience. I would guess this has at least another 5 to 10 years to continue to evolve and improve.
From Michelle: In my head, 2019 wasn’t that long ago. But Joel assures me it’s now 7 years ago and this is a mature wine. Pop and pour, it’s tight and tanniny. Needs to open. After about 15 minutes in the decanter, it’s getting better. Hints of berry, maybe? A little bit tart. Long lasting skinny legs. Getting more tasty as it opens further in the glass. It’s still a very smooth drink.
Finally looked at the label and yes. Cherries and blackberries are listed, so that’s what I was tasting before. Goes decently well with the Italian meatballs. Overall, this is really good.
After seeing the posting this morning, I’m not surprised that it retails for $59, was pleasantly surprised to see it as $20 a bottle which seems to be extremely high QPR.
@Winedavid59cloudy-burnt-gambler
Just for you WineDavid in for a case (oh and all those super great, fantastic wines back to: Woots: 330 Join Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009) before the Octopus sank the Ship… yes still have one. Come on guys…
@Winedavid59 You have a point there. I did manage to avoid temptation w/BerserkerDay, but my Casemate and I did get this offer. Thank you for keeping us in excellent wine.
2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Aromas & Flavors
Vintage Notes
Winemaker’s Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $708/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Feb 27 - Monday, Mar 2
2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $179.99 $15/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I wonder what the other percent of the wine is…
@klezman new math perhaps
@klezman 1% of good, for goodness sake
@rjquillin @ttboy23 I was thinking maybe the angel’s share…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - $70 = 25.99%
Decanter decanted a bit and had this to say:
91 points. Fragrant blackberry, liquorice, graphite and oak. The same fruit profile envelops the palate, adding to it wild herbs, dusty tannins and tangy blood orange-like acidity, which leads to a tart finish. Sees 18 months of ageing in French and American oak.
Suckling:
90 points. A pretty nose of blackberries,
blackcurrants, cooked cherries,
rosemary and thyme with dried spices.
It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins.
Rich and punchy with sweet fruit. Drink from 2023 9/4/21
WE was enthusiastic:
93 points. A flint and gunpowder nose leads to bold graphite, blueberry and tobacco flavors in this full-bodied wine that is laced with a high level of fine-grained tannins. This wine is meant for aging, being so tightly packed with fruits and minerals and having the structure to keep it fresh while more complex flavors develop over time. Best from 2028–2038. — Jim Gordon 4/1/23 (mentions a release price of $70)
Reverse Wine Snob just had this up a couple of weeks ago at $22/bottle for three bottles (yes a little retail hyperbole) …
This is an amazing opportunity for Cab lovers and especially Napa Cab lovers to stock up on a phenomenal wine with a very long drinking window.
Aged 18 months in French and American oak, this wine normally retails for $70 a bottle!
This is a legit SRP too as the wine is normally only available through the winery at the SRP, but even when it’s been out at retail the lowest price we’ve ever seen it at is $50 a bottle. (This wine is also not to be confused with the regular, non-Reserve wine, which typically sells for around $40 — which is still almost twice the price of our deal on this Reserve blend!)
Wine Enthusiast rates the 2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at 93 points with a drinking window of 2028 to 2038. We don’t think you have to wait that long to drink it but we do agree it will last until 2038. We scored it even a bit higher at 94+ points (Perfect 10 Taste Rating).
The 2019 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with an intoxicating aroma of dark fruit, spice and vanilla plus touches of chocolate, mint, cedar, pencil lead, graphite and more. You find something new every time you take a sniff!
The wine tastes deep, tannic and chewy right now and has tons of structure. It’s absolutely delicous with similar flavors to the nose and lots of well integrated spice. This one has a long life ahead of it!
It ends dry, quite long and grippy and was just as good on day 2. This is a stellar example of Napa Valley Cabernet that can age and even improve for at least another 10 years. Stock up Napa Caba lovers! 1/19/26
Jeb Dunnuck, not so enthusiastic:
85 points. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is more medium-bodied and straightforward and is slightly dominated by oak. JD 5/4/22
Wine Advocate:
89 points. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve features attractive cedar, cassis and vanilla aromas, but this full-bodied effort is also open-knit and slightly coarse in texture, finishing a bit short. Drink 2022-2030 Joe Czerwinski 5/31/22
Last Bottle had this a bit ago for $35
fyi a few spots mention 15.5abv
fwiw
@kaolis Think it’s worth waiting for a labrat or hitting “snag it” button quickly is the more advisable move?
@ratnikov my gut says a pretty solid bottle with a few years of bottle age at $15… rws was a recent taste and yeah there is that retail enthusiasm but he’s usually straightforward for the most part, my humble
@kaolis Sold, in for case! Seems like a good Napa Cab Sav baseline to compare other CA Cab Savs against.
@kaolis @ratnikov
Jeb, seemingly, was having a grumpy day; he must have been in the pepsi crowd.
@kaolis i just bought 6 bottles at Reverse Wine Snob and uts arriving tomorrow!. Wish it came yesterday so i could try it. My research showed it was a very good value based on opinions and pricing.
The fact that the owners are Croatian who started out in NY was the cherry on top.
C’mon Rats…we need a reason to buy…or not.
Labrat checking in! Sorry, there were some delays in delivery of the bottle, then I had a misunderstanding that it was going live tonight (Saturday), not last night. Luckily for all of you, we had it with dinner last night.
Without further ado…
The wine arrived late Thursday night. As always, thanks much to the casemates and WCC crew for the opportunity! Was pleasantly surprised that this is a 2019 vintage and rather excited to try it.
The bottle is very nice looking, printing directly on the bottle, it has a foil capsule and real cork.
The wine itself is a beautiful medium purple, no signs of bricking.
Given the age and the fact that it was noted as reserve cabernet with Napa appellation, I decided to pour half a glass into the wine glass to try as a quick pop and pour, and poured the rest into the decanter.
Immediate impression straight from the glass was that this was a well crafted cab, if a bit tight. The decanter was a good idea. Medium to full body. Large tannins, though not green nor sharp, and some muted dark fruits.
Aromas of dark cherry with hints of vanilla and sweet spice.
After 10 minutes of the decanter, the wine really opened up beautifully. With additional complexities of dark fruits and leather, strong vanilla, and the tanning integrating nicely into the rest of the experience. I would guess this has at least another 5 to 10 years to continue to evolve and improve.
From Michelle: In my head, 2019 wasn’t that long ago. But Joel assures me it’s now 7 years ago and this is a mature wine. Pop and pour, it’s tight and tanniny. Needs to open. After about 15 minutes in the decanter, it’s getting better. Hints of berry, maybe? A little bit tart. Long lasting skinny legs. Getting more tasty as it opens further in the glass. It’s still a very smooth drink.
Finally looked at the label and yes. Cherries and blackberries are listed, so that’s what I was tasting before. Goes decently well with the Italian meatballs. Overall, this is really good.
After seeing the posting this morning, I’m not surprised that it retails for $59, was pleasantly surprised to see it as $20 a bottle which seems to be extremely high QPR.
should not have run this on Berserkers day i guess. jeez. this is a screaming a$$ deal, IMO.
@Winedavid59 cloudy-burnt-gambler
Just for you WineDavid in for a case (oh and all those super great, fantastic wines back to: Woots: 330 Join Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009) before the Octopus sank the Ship… yes still have one. Come on guys…
@Winedavid59 You have a point there. I did manage to avoid temptation w/BerserkerDay, but my Casemate and I did get this offer. Thank you for keeping us in excellent wine.
@Winedavid59 Looks like you picked up some steam today
I’m not supposed to be buying wine. But yes, this looks like a terrific deal. Resolutions are made to be broken, right? In for a case.
@coynedj Me either although I did cancel my Scott Harvey purchase from yesterday to buy this so is that considered saving money?
@toddlamp Works for me.
/giphy plausible-magnanimous-nymph
/giphy babbling-temporary-pine
/giphy handmade-unanimous-vulture
/giphy attractive-obtainable-frog
Anyone in SF on nearby Bay Area interested in a split? I am pretty stocked on Cabs but this is a screaming deal at the case price.
Anyone inSo. NH/Boston area interested in a split?
@netcommsyn I have you down for 4 bottles. I’m located in Newton. Please remind me.603-682-4739. Thanks Jon
@netcommsyn Perfect I’m nearby - I’ll text tomorrow!
/giphy abundant-cordially-point
what’s the abv? The bottle says 15.5% in the photo posted by the rat.
@andrewbrion yeah, weird because the write up says 14.5%
Directly out of bottle has very strong tannins. It needs to breathe at least an hour. Show some discipline!
@cityisland14
I’ll second this. Undrinkable on day one, somewhat better on day two.
It’s going to rest for a few more before I try again.