Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Tasting Notes by Winemaker Fredrik Johansson:

The 2006 growing season was defined by a very wet winter rain season, a late budbreak, and despite the one colossal heatwave in mid-July, generally moderate temperatures throughout. These conditions provided ample hang time that allowed for even ripening, intense flavors and rich tannins that developed prior to and in conjunction with sugar accumulation resulting in wines of excellent extraction and exquisite balance.

The wine opens with an abundant nose of candied cherries and ripe plums complex with notes of cedar and pencil shavings, a whiff of black olives and just the faintest hint of jasmine floating above. A lavish attack on the palate is lead by ripe Satsuma plums and marionberries in an ebullient bath of Maraschino liqueur followed by an uninhibited mid-palate of blackcurrants deepened by notes of leather, loam and rich chocolates that oscillate between milk and dark, girded along the way and through the exit into a lengthy finish by plentiful and luxurious tannins. Much like the 2006 Salus Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is drinking delightfully well now but the ample structure should allow it to continue to develop for many decades to come.

Customer Reviews:

Greg Gregory says about the 2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon:
"Seriously. Licorice, buckberry, blueberry and currants. A touch of spice and perfect balance. Hides it's serious tannins well and never comes across as hot. Simply beautiful."

Reviews by Wine Experts:

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, "Year in Review" 2009,
WINE OF THE YEAR: 2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon–"With apologies to [other] wonderful wines...our choice for the Cabernet Sauvignon we would most like to take home to mother is Staglin 2006, a wine whose depth and richness comes with a very precise and inspiring delivery of the West Rutherford Bench character. A stellar achievement from a brilliantly run winery."

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, April 2009
"2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon–This immense, deeply fruited, lavishly oaked wine is all about the future, and, despite showing loads of highly concentrated, black currant character, it is prohibitively tannic for near term drinking. It is also as rich and as precise in its varietal Cabernet Sauvignon focus as any wine tasted in some time. Everything about this one speaks to depth and longevity, and it is likely to need a decade or more before hitting its stride. But, few wines are its equal for classic flavors even now and fewer still will match its progress in the fullness of time. (3 puffs, 97 points)"

James Laube, Wine Spectator Insider, August 5, 2009:
"Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2006–Rich, focused, supple, plush and layered, showing amazing purity of flavor, with tiers of black currant, black cherry, mineral, sage, anise and cedar. Yet for all its flavor, it’s the seductive textural fleshiness that’s perhaps most striking. Best from 2010 through 2019.—J.L. (96 points)"

Wilfred Wong, Cellarmaster, Beverages & More! July 17, 2009:
"Yesterday I attended a Day in the Dust... in Rutherford, Napa Valley; tasted over 60 wines...the wine of the day...2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate...Deep ruby color, almost opaque in appearance; impressive, refined ripe red and black fruit aromas, a deft touch of oak, tremendous depth; medium bodied, firm and elegant on the palate, exceptional structure, dry, nice acidity, well balanced; incredible synergy of ripe fruit and sweet oak, superb concentration, lingering finish, refined aftertaste. A fantastic Wow! wine. (99 points)"

Mark Stuart, thecorkhead.com, March 30, 2010:
Mark says his taste of 2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was "a passionate experience" that "will mark a place in time for years to come." Read his full review

Linda Murphy, JancisRobinson.com, August 2009:
Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Rutherford–Uses every bell and whistle in the vineyard and cellar, and it all meshes beautifully in a textbook 'modern' California Cab. To be sure, it's showy, super-rich, concentrated and fleshy, with a good lashing of new French oak. Yet the tannins are substantial and integrated, and the acidity is refreshing, boding well for cellaring. Has a touch of the famous Rutherford dust. (18.5 / 20 points)"

W. Blake Gray, "Rutherford Dust Society Cabernet Tasting," The Gray Market Report, July 16, 2009
"Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2006–...Credit Staglin Family Vineyard for making a wine worthy of the $175 price tag in 2006; their '06 Estate Cab is complex and elegant, with healthy acidity that bodes well for the long term. It's not easy to be impressive in this group, but the Staglin stood out from the first whiff...
...Complex and surprisingly mature already, with aromas of dark cherry, orange peel, cigar box and oak. Elegant on the palate with similar flavors; more acidity than expected bodes well for the future. When I first smelled this I thought someone had snuck in a ringer -- an earlier vintage. But if it's already this complex, I wonder what it will be like when it's released in October. (95 points)"

Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, Issue 180, December 2008
"Chocolate, cassis, licorice, cedar, and soil undertones dominate the fragrant aromatics of the dense purple-colored 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. A big wine with enviable purity as well as harmony, and a long finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 15-25 years. (94 points)"

Alder Yarrow, "California's Best Boutique Wines: Tasting Family Winemakers 2009", Vinography: A Wine Blog, September 6, 2009.
Alder rated our 2006 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 9 to 9.5 points out of 10. Read Alder's full article.