2015 Cardinale

97 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2015 Cardinale is heavenly juice made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot that’s from a number of AVAs in Napa Valley. It offers a beautiful perfume of crème de cassis, black raspberry jam, graphite, and scorched earth. This gives way to a full-bodied, elegant, impressively concentrated 2015 that has the deep, concentrated fruit of the vintage, yet stays fresh, lively and graceful on the palate. This is high-class stuff that can be drunk anytime over the coming 20-25 years.

96 POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon (containing 10% Merlot) gives beautiful red, black and blue fruit notes with touches of dried herbs, spice cake and unsmoked cigars, plus a waft of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm structure with plenty of gregarious mid-palate fruit, finishing with a lingering herbal lift. This seductive blockbuster is temptingly drinkable now and it should age gracefully over 15-20 years. 2,579 cases produced.

96 POINTS

Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous

The 2015 Cardinale is dark, sensual and totally beguiling. Voluptuous fruit and soft, racy contours make a strong opening statement. The dark cherry, mocha, smoke, plum, spice and new leather flavors are all amped up in a seamless, alluring Cardinale that is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth. There is so much to like here.

95 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby garnet colour, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate brightening on the rim. Inviting cassis fruit dominated by Cabernet, black cherries, pleasant touch of precious wood, with red berry nuances in the background. Juicy, ripe heart cherries again, a light hint of liquorice, fresh, salty acidity, rather medium-bodied, mineral and lemony touch, already accessible, a lively food wine.

94 POINTS

Stephen Brook - Decanter

The aim of Cardinale is to be accessible, though not mature, on release, as well as having the capacity to age, and this 2015 succeeds admirably. There's dense blackberry fruit on the nose, which has power and ripeness without being jammy or overbearing. The mostly new oak is evident on the nose, and the palate, but it's sumptuous and integrated. Plump and full-bodied, the wine is understandably youthful and quite grippy, but it's not too extracted, and the long finish is juicy and vigorous.

94 POINTS

Linda Murphy - Decanter

It's the rare Napa Cab that drinks beautifully both on release and through a decade or more - this is one of them: decadently plush and juicy, with lifted floral aromas and smooth, seamless tannins. It sports great verve and polish, with oak, ripeness, acidity and alcohol all in balance.

Jancis Robinson

Bright, dense, crimson. Low-key nose with some complexity. Some real finesse of texture though the green note is just very slightly too much for me. Very good effort. Drink 2019-2026 17/20

Jancis Robinson

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot.Bright, dense, crimson. Low-key nose with some complexity. Some real finesse of texture though the green note is just very slightly too much for me. Very good effort. Score: 17/NaN