One of the storied houses in the Napa Valley, Inglenook dates back to 1879 and was founded by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum. Niebaum's employee Hamden McIntyre was not an architect but he designed gravity flow wineries for Inglenook and Far Niente along with other wineries of the decade. Niebaum died in 1908 and the winery was shut down during Prohibition. But following the repeal of Prohibition, Niebaum’s widow, Suzanne Niebaum, reopened Inglenook, later followed by Niebaum’s great-nephew, John Daniel Jr., who took over operations in 1939.
The Coppola family have been involved since 1975 following the success of their movie The Godfather. Quality improved with the hiring of eminent wine consultant André Tchelistcheff in the 1980s and the historic chateau was restored in 1997.
It has been several years since I have visited these beautiful and expansive grounds, but you can’t help to be impressed with the history of the property. I loved both of the new Inglenook releases. The 2018 Inglenook Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 92) has really good freshness and range, with a silky texture. Just as good is the elegant 2016 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) which shows off a soft mouthfeel and lovely loamy tones. Learn more about this historic Napa house at https://www.inglenook.com Here are the great new releases by Inglenook.
2018 Inglenook Sauvignon Blanc- Once on the nose this offers seriously good range from lychee to lemon blossom, kiwi and cantaloupe tones alongside salted almond tones that all mingle in the glass. The palate is soft and generous, offering great length and viscosity. Layers of green papaya, wet grass, salted Macadamia nut and Granny Smith apple all delight on the palate. Lithe and full of life, this beautiful wine will cellar well over the next six to eight years. Drink 2020-2026- 92
2016 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2016 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon is a great blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with small parts Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec that was aged for sixteen months in 50% new French oak before bottling. Exotic spices immediate appeal aromatically, combining with dark kirsch cordial, creme de cassis and anise tones that all march in unison. The palate is soft and elegant, showing good finesse and unveiling ripe dark currants that march on with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate covered espresso bean and loamy terroir. This is seriously good stuff now at the four year mark, as this beautiful new Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2020-2035- 92