2005 IL BARONE Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon
Rated 94 points in Wine Spectator Magazine's 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon retrospective tasting:
"The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet vintage at age 10 has proven to be a bit of a roller coaster. Many of the wines are very, very good, but there are others that show the imbalance of a supersized crop, with mixed tannin levels. Of the 164 2005 Cabernets I recently tasted blind inWine Spectator's Napa office, 41 earned 90 points or higher, with a total of 112 rated very good or better."
"The second tier of wines also stars veteran Napa vintners whose experience paid off when managing 2005's huge crop. Castello di Amorosa was a relatively new producer that year, but owner Dario Sattui, of the V. Sattui winery family, has been working Napa harvests since the 1970s."
CASTELLO DI AMOROSA Il Barone Napa Valley 2005 Score: 94
A fantastic effort, aging well, this is firm, rich and youthful, brimming with dense, concentrated blackberry and wild berry fruit, touches of crushed rock and fresh earth, and notes of dried herb, cedar and dill. Ends with ripe, chewy tannins. Remarkably persistent on the finish. 2005 California Cabernet blind retrospective (September 2015). Drink now through 2025. 2,000 cases made.—J.L.