Mission Codename Hole in one
“Greg Norman Estates makes the kind of wines Greg Norman likes, easy to drink but full of character.” – Wine Spectator
Napa Cab! We love it. You love it. From Calistoga to Coombsville. Rutherford to St. Helena and everywhere beyond.
You love it even more when it’s not $75. Or $50. Let’s limbo down to $25 and take a seat there.
This RESERVE is a true “crowd–pleaser” loaded with fruit, and one that over-delivers BIG time for the price.
Greg Norman, aka ‘The Great White Shark’ leads a relentless pursuit of excellence on and off the golf course. After retiring, he took that approach to wine. To date, his Greg Norman Estates label earned 3x appearances on the WS Top 100 list over the years.
For this effort he brought Wine Enthusiast Winemaker of the Year Margo Van Staaveren on board, who cut his teeth at Chateau St. Jean. Wine Spectator recaps that “Greg Norman Estates is a wine venture from World Golf Hall of Famer turned entrepreneur Greg Norman, who makes wine in his home country of Australia, and in New Zealand and California. Norman generally looks to make approachable, accessible bottlings, including his Cabernet Sauvignon.”
And this is easily one of his best efforts - and a screaming good deal at twenty-five bucks.
Hailing from one of the greatest vintages of the century yet catapults this beauty even further, per Wine Spectator again, “If you love California Cabernet Sauvignon, then clear some space in your cellar for the 2016 vintage …a benchmark year of stunning wines that will drink well in their youth and develop gracefully for decades… Napa Valley, the epicenter of California Cabernet culture, once again leads the way.”*
And what’s in our glasses? Warm and opulent fruit flavors easily coax their way out of the glass. It pops with bing cherry and a rush of cassis. Black raspberry preserves and plum cake… just pure plush goodness flowing strong. Add a little Chinese five-spice, lavender, and toasty mocha layers up smartly with lavish, well-integrated French oak influence, and you have a complete Cab. Almost no signs of aging, and drinking primetime right now.
For $25??! It’ll be very tough to beat this kind of quality.
91 Points – Wine Spectator
“This delivers a blast of cherry and red currant compote flavors out front, backed by lightly toasted vanilla and red licorice notes. An open, bramble-edged finish lets the fruit play out. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now through 2025.”
What the Winery Says
2016 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Margo Van Staaveren
- Varietals
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2016
- Alcohol
- 15.0%
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- TA
- 6.5 g/L
- pH
- 3.77
- Aging
- 19 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak