A winery with some great history, Cardinale dates back to 1983 when wine icon, Jess Jackson, proprietor of Kendall-Jackson Winery, wanted to produce a top notch red Meritage style wine. Cardinale is named after the original Cardinale vineyard site at Kendall-Jackson's Lakeport winery as the blend is normally predominantly comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon melded with small amounts of Merlot and, in certain years, Cabernet Franc. Grapes are harvested from hillside vineyards located in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County. The wine is aged in 100% new French oak Chateau barrels before bottling.
A visit to Cardinale is a must for any serious collector of Napa wine. Cardinale is an absolutely stunning property located in the Napa floor, in Oakville not far from Robert Mondavi Winery and Opus One. At the helm is superstar winemaker, Chris Carpenter, is an MBA graduate that gained experience as a harvest enologist at Domaine Carneros Winery, a vineyard intern at Domaine Chandon California, and a research intern at Tenute Antinori, Santa Cristina Estate, in Montefiridolfi, Italy, before coming to Cardinale. A few years back I was fortunate enough to do a special vertical tasting of this wine which was such a memorable experience (http://www.washingtonwineblog.com/blog/2018/1/29/cardinale-vertical-tasting-mandarin-oriental-hotel-nyc). The new 2016 Cardinale Red Wine (WWB, 97) one of the best Cardinale wines that I can remember. This gorgeous, silky red blend is remarkable in its youth. The power and tension of the wine, with tremendous freshness, yet intense viscosity, really makes this wine sing. Learn more about this incredible wine at http://www.cardinale.com/ Here is my review of the stunning 2016 Cardinale Red Wine
2016 Cardinale Red Wine- The 2016 Cardinale Red Wine is a thrilling blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot crafted by superstar winemaker, Chris Carpenter. The wine was aged in 100% French oak (93% new) for twenty months before bottling. The stunning aromatics almost catch you off guard. Deep aromatics of creme de cassis, graphite, creosote, and blackberry compote all come together seamlessly in the glass. The freshness and intensity of the wine is gorgeous, as the silky mouthfeel makes the wine effortlessly glide across the mid-palate. Deep dark fruits collide with chocolate covered espresso bean, tar and anise flavors all marvelously sing in unison on the palate. A truly stunning heavyhitter of a wine, the 2016 Cardinale Red Wine will be very long-lived. Drink 2022-2050- 97