Bella Oaks, Napa Valley, 2021
Bella Oaks 2021 is a wine of tremendous proportion and poise, a controlled explosion of sophisticated and flowing dark fruit and minerality that manages to be both profound and propelled as if in a flow state– its deep core of fruit borne across the palate on a wave of sweet minerals and lifted by a towering vertical line. It’s a sensational new release and one to return to in about a decade: it will undoubtedly turn heads whenever a cork is pulled. A fully co-fermented blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Franc
critic reviews
The final blend of the Bella Oaks 2021 Proprietary Red Wine ended up at 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. With a compelling nose of dusty earth, dried spices and mixed red and black cherries, this full-bodied wine boasts an elegant texture somewhere between silk and velvet with a gentle wash of silky tannins on the long, mouthwatering finish. To be released in Fall 2024.
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, with 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. It flies out of the glass with gregarious notes of black cherries, sassafras, licorice, and baked blackcurrants plus hints of rose oil and allspice. The full-bodied palate is laden with juicy black and red berry layers, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant.