2013 Lail Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint From Multiple Vineyards
The Winery
Their story began in 1879 when Robin Daniel Lail’s great-granduncle, Gustav Niebaum, pioneered fine winemaking in the Napa Valley when he founded Inglenook Winery. Inglenook was passed down to Robin’s grandfather and then to her father, John Daniel Jr. In 1995, after many years working with other Napa Valley icons (Robert Mondavi, Bill Harlan, etc.), Robin’s dream of wanting to create her own extraordinary wines was launched. She and her daughters, Erin and Shannon, assembled a team of talent individuals and set out on their own by launching Lail Vineyards. Today, the winery has a long standing tradition of winemaking. Currently they continue a legacy of perfecting vineyards to make extraordinary wines, including some 100 point wines!
The Wine
Another nice treat last week pulled from the cellar, Lail Vineyards Blueprint 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Blueprint, which comes from six vineyards in Napa Valley and is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine on the eyes was a deep garnet red and purple color and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose, aromas of boysenberry and black cherry are predominate. On the palate, besides the ripe fruit, it opens up to reveal mocha, vanilla pipe tobacco and leather. The finish is mouth filling, long and with a refined “upper class” edginess to it. The tannins are present but relatively tamed and smooth. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 17 months with 64% being new. 1583 cases were produced by Philippe Melka. The current release is the 2019 and is listed at $90/bottle. Ratings from Parker and Wine Advocate were 92 points and 94 points respectively.
When they say the sum is greater than parts, this is the wine that exemplifies this saying!
Sláinte,
Michael
California Wines & Wineries 