From the winery:

Cardinale was born in 1982, with a mission to produce a singular Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest-quality vineyards in Napa Valley. All sub-appellations of the region were to be considered, and grape sources could change from year to year, to create the most distinctive wine from each vintage.

Today, Cardinale is a blend of multiple sub-appellations in Napa Valley and remains a limited production, powerful and seamless Cabernet Sauvignon. Mountain-grown grapes are the foundation for the Cardinale blend — particularly those from Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain — yet hillside and benchland grapes as well as a small amount of Merlot add layers of complexity in every vintage.

Mountain terroir is essential to Cardinale’s character. While the rocky soils, steep aspects and exposed conditions are among the most challenging in California, they also produce the most structured, masculine and complex wines.

WINEMAKER OVERVIEW

The ideal growing season of 1997 resulted in a Cardinale wine of great depth and structure. Showcasing its extraordinary mountain vineyard sources, the 1997 Cardinale is a beautifully balanced, powerhouse wine with rich aromas and dark fruit flavors. This is the first vintage to include grapes from our Howell Mountain Estate vineyards. These grapes contribute to the wine’s smooth complexity and lingering finish.

1997 CARDINALE RED WINE COMPOSITION

Napa County 79%, Sonoma County 21%

Napa County: Cabernet Sauvignon 72%, Merlot 7%

Sonoma County: Cabernet Sauvignon 19%, Merlot 2%

WINEMAKER AS COMPOSER — Christopher Carpenter

Like a master composer, Winemaker Christopher Carpenter layers the intricate notes of Cardinale’s mountain vineyards to build one resounding wine. Diamond Mountain contributes dark cherry, bittersweet chocolate, and great mid-palate body. Howell Mountain delivers dark fruit flavors, an earthiness, and minerality. Spring Mountain adds floral aromatics, red fruit characteristics, satiny tannins, and great aging potential. And Mount Veeder bestows notes of blue fruit and minerality, along with the wine’s structure.

TASTING NOTES BY ROBERT M. PARKER, JR.

There are 3,900 cases of the prodigious 1997 Cardinale, comprised primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon with a tiny dollop of Merlot. The wine has an opaque bluish black/purple color, a knockout nose of black cherry liqueur intermixed with cassis, lead pencil, mineral, and smoky oak. The glorious richness in the mouth is backed up by a full-bodied, opulently-textured, super-extracted wine that is neither heavy nor ponderous. Stunning purity, a fabulous multi-layered impression, and a finish that goes on for nearly a minute make this the most exciting Cardinale to date. — Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate, December 2000.