Cervantes Family Vineyards, Blacktail Red Blend, Napa Valley, California, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Cervantes Family Vineyards is a 1,100 Acre Ranch in the far eastern reaches of Napa Valley last frontier, marks the highest profile project where winemaker Andy Erickson (Favia, Dalla Valle, Mayacamas, Arietta, and formerly of Screaming Eagle, Harlan and Staglin) and Xavier Cervantes Family are growing a text book Napa Valley hill side wines. Where wild deer and bears still roam, giving the feeling of an uncharted feral frontier to these elegant and polish wines.

Cervantes' estate, which he calls Hine Ranch, marks the highest-profile project yet to bottle an estate Pope Valley wine made at a Pope Valley winery. Xavier hired winemaker Andy Erickson (Favia, Dalla Valle, Mayacamas, Arietta, and formerly of Screaming Eagle and Staglin) to join him on his spirited adventure and famed architect Howard Backen (Harlan, Kenzo, Futo) to build the winery and equestrian center on the property; all sharing the bold, singular dream to realize the full possibility of the unsung terroir of Pope Valley and finally giving justice to one of Napa's great landscapes.

Grape / Blend
41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc

Origin
Oakville, Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The complexity of the 2019 Blacktail is as exciting as the blend appears. Notes of Licorice, baking spices, sandalwood and gravel are wound up in rich fruit flavors of black cherry, cassis, and baked blueberries. The wine is at once structured and accessible, with a juicy core, but enough tannins to help it age in the bottle for decades. Ejoy it with family and friends at the table!

97 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2019 Cervantes Blacktail is deep garnet-purple in color. Wow – it is wonderfully perfumed with floral notes of lavender and chamomile, with a core of cassis, plum preserves, and redcurrant jelly, plus a waft of cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate is so soft, fragrant, and expressive with loads of earth and savory layers, finishing long and minerally.

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 
"We don't have anything in mind about what the final blend will be each year," winemaker Andy Erickson said about this Blacktail blend. "We want to create something that is unique to the place this year." The 2019 Blacktail Proprietary Red Blend MMXIX is produced from 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 17% Malbec, 22% Petite Sirah and 11% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of exotic spices—fenugreek, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick—over a core of plum preserves, warm cassis and incense, plus a touch of forest forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed full of bright, juicy fruit, supported by taut, grainy tannins, finishing very long and layered.

95 Points - James Suckling 
Cassis, tamarind, ripe fruit, dark chocolate, rust and fine spices. Fleshy and rich, but focused on the palate, with really fine-grained tannins that seep through the full-bodied palate that’s full of dark berries. Plush, very flavorful and long. Drink or hold.

94 Points - Vinous
The 2019 Blacktail is a blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc. A wine of striking aromatics and notable depth, the Blacktail is absolutely gorgeous in 2019. Like the Cabernet, it seems a bit less overtly opulent than in the past, which is a good sign.

93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Proprietary Blend Blacktail is 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. This kitchen sink-like blend has tons of character and is medium to full-bodied, with ripe yet firmer tannins, lots of red and blue fruits, and complex, expressive notes of spicy oak, graphite, and scorched earth. Give it a year or three and enjoy over the following decade.

Product size: 750ml