I have such fond memories of my first visit to Cardinale. This was back roughly 15 years ago and I sat at this majestic outdoor setting amongst the vineyards. The sunshine warmed the back patio and I tasted through multiple vintages of this amazing wine.
One of the great wines of the Napa Valley, Cardinale is located in the Napa floor, in Oakville not far from Robert Mondavi Winery. It is pretty common for them to have several vintages available which provides such a fun contrast to go back and forth between these gorgeous wines. Cardinale is a Cabernet-based wine with smaller parts of Merlot blended in. At the helm is superstar winemaker, Chris Carpenter, is an MBA graduate who has previously worked for Domaine Carneros, Domaine Chandon California, as well as Tenute Antinori, Santa Cristina Estate, in Montefiridolfi, Italy, before coming to Cardinale. Chris is humble when talking about his wines. He is truly one of the great talents of Napa.
It is just amazing how well these wines age. I think for my palate up there with the finest releases yet, the 2021 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 99) is a dense, massive, powerful wine that needs a ton of air before consuming. I think this will easily live on for another 30 years. Learn more about these stunning wines at http://www.cardinale.com/ and here is my tasting note for the gorgeous new 20121 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon.
2021 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon- What must be one of the finest renditions of this wine, the 2021 Cardinale is composed of nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) with the remainder Merlot. Stored in 80% new French oak before bottling, this is a massive beast that really needs several hours in the decanter before consuming. A brilliant melange of mountain huckleberry and wild blackberry combine with tar, graphite, anise and creme de cassis on the palate. Big and round, with refined tannins and a generous mouthfeel, everything is firing on all cylinders here. This beauty will easy cellar for another twenty years. Again, this is not a pop and pour so give it plenty of time if you cannot resist opening it. Drink 2025-2050- 99