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Wine Recommendation
D.R. Stephens Estate
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Moose Valley Vineyard(Napa Valley)
Owners Don and Trish Stephens planted their nine-acre Moose Valley vineyard in 1996. Also known as Stephens Estate, this St. Helena property on Howell Mountain Road is the family home site. With the help of winemaker Celia Welch Masyczek and vineyard manager Jim Barbour, the family released their first wine in 2002. Justin Hunnicutt Stephens, Don and Trish’s son, is general manager. Don is still active in his legal career and with his real estate and private equity investment business.
In addition to their classic estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the family also releases a cool-climate Chardonnay from the Hudson Vineyard in Carneros.
Made with 100% estate fruit then aged in 100% new French oak barrels, the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is inky in color, full bodied and dry, and has notes of cassis, blueberry, raspberry, espresso, mocha, vanilla, and nutmeg. Rich and plummy with supple tannins, this wine is warming and welcome as we head into winter.
Reviewed November 7, 2006 by Catherine Fallis.
The Wine
Winery: D.R. Stephens Estate |
The Reviewer
Catherine Fallis
Founder and President of Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing the joy of wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people, Catherine is creator of the “grape goddess guides to good living,” a series of books, television presentations, seminars, and e-learning programs. The fifth woman in the world to become a Master Sommelier, grape goddess Catherine Fallis is still very much down-to-earth. |