100 Points
99 Points
98 Points
97 Points

Cardinale

Cardinale 2021

SKU: CACS202112 UCAU

$724.99

Unit price: per

Made by superstar winemaker Chris Carpenter, outstanding wine with exceptional quality, beautifully balanced wine that showcases the best of Napa.

This has great aging potential. The wine is made to last for decades and can be cellared for many years to come.

Place de Bordeaux Limited Offer - Pre-Order Arrival Early 2025

Critic Scores

100 // Jeb Dunnuck

"The perfect 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, all of which spent 22 months in 80% new French oak. The idea of this release is to showcase fruit from throughout the valley, and to say that winemaker Chris Carpenter succeeded would be an understatement. It boasts off-the-charts richness and depth as well as notes of cassis, toasted spices, graphite, tobacco, and espresso, with perfectly integrated oak. Inky purple-hued, full-bodied, voluptuously textured, and flawlessly balanced, it can be drunk any time over the coming 25 years or more."

99 // James Suckling

"Lovely purple fruits with violets, lead pencil, mint, crushed stones, pine needles, resin, and ceramic. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that show a silky beautiful texture. Blend of Stags Leap, Saint Helena, Yountville, and Atlas Peak plus all the mountain vineyards of Cardinale. A blend of 91% cabernet sauvignon and 9% merlot. 3,500 cases produced."

98 // Decanter

"In my tasting with winemaker Chris Carpenter, we talked at length about differentiating sub-appellations of Napa in the Lokoya wines. Still, with Cardinale, the Oakville-based crown jewel in the Jackson Family portfolio, the idea is the sum must be greater than the parts. This is not an estate wine. It is culled from multiple appellations, typically between three and nine, depending on the vintage. Sources have been Vine Hill Ranch and To Kalon in the past. The 2021 is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap, Rutherford, and St. Helena, with 9% Merlot from the 24ha Keyes Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain, aged 22 months in 80% new French oak. Super savoury aromatics of black cherry, cedar, black liquorice, graphite, black tea, tobacco leaf, rose petal and sagebrush. Full-bodied with all those aromatic qualities making appearances on the full-bodied palate, framed by a soaring tannin profile that resolves with beautifully crisp and mouthwatering acidity, which is so impressive given the density of the wine. The acidity is so pure and cleansing it gives the sensation of fresh, crisp mountain water washing away the deeply robust and powerful tannins that frame this powerhouse wine, readying you for another sip."

97 // The Wine Advocate

"The 2021 Cardinale is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon from nine different AVAs, plus 9% Merlot from the Jackson Family's Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Scents of black cherries, cassis, graphite and crushed stone appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, generous, concentrated and expansive, then tightens up and becomes more classically structured and dusty on the lingering, mouthwatering finish. - Joe Czerwinski"

Product Details

Red

2021

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cardinale

Napa County, California, USA

15 Plus Years

Cork

14.5%

750ml (Bottle)

Available for Purchase

Estimated dispatch from Warehouse: Thursday, April 03, 2025

Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

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Description

As winemaker Chris Carpenter describes it, when crafting Cardinale, he is "trying to make a wine at the highest level that is multi-appellation, emphasizing the most successful AVAs in each vintage."
Cardinale crafts a single Cabernet Sauvignon from each vintage. The wine is a limited-production blend from Napa Valley’s most recognized mountain appellations, including Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Spring Mountain District.
Each of these esteemed mountain vineyards creates a beautiful note onto itself, but the composition they create together results in a remarkable symphony of flavor, texture, and complexity. Mountain terroir is essential to Cardinale’s profile. 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, worthy of cellaring.
Tasting Profile

Light

Full

Low Tannin

Tannic

Sweet

Dry

Low Acidity

High Acidity

Aroma:

Blueberry, Boysenberry, Herbal

Palate:

Blue Fruits, Cassis, Graphite

Food Pairings:

Pork

Red Meat

Tasting Notes

Description

As winemaker Chris Carpenter describes it, when crafting Cardinale, he is "trying to make a wine at the highest level that is multi-appellation, emphasizing the most successful AVAs in each vintage."

Cardinale crafts a single Cabernet Sauvignon from each vintage. The wine is a limited-production blend from Napa Valley’s most recognized mountain appellations, including Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Spring Mountain District.

Each of these esteemed mountain vineyards creates a beautiful note onto itself, but the composition they create together results in a remarkable symphony of flavor, texture, and complexity. Mountain terroir is essential to Cardinale’s profile. 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, worthy of cellaring.

Tasting Profile

Light
Full

Low Tannin
Tannic

Sweet
Dry

Low Acidity
High Acidity

Aroma:

Blueberry, Boysenberry, Herbal

Palate:

Blue Fruits, Cassis, Graphite

Food Pairings:

Pork

Red Meat

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