Current & Past Releases
Detert Family Vineyard
TASTING NOTES:
2000 was a late cool vintage in Napa Valley and this wine has always been a beautifully balanced, subdued wine showing Cabernet Franc’s more herbaceous side. The nose shows rich aromas of rose petal, graphite, cedar, tar, green olive, cherry and grilled meats. Lush and lively in the mouth with a great balance between texture, tannin and acidity. It shows the whole range of flavors on the palate – a complex and delicious balance of herb, mineral, fruit and spice. Surprisingly this wine hasn’t changed much in the past few years which suggests it still has another 5 or more years of life. However, if you have this rare vintage in your cellar I would suggest trying a bottle now- it is stunning. Give it air – maybe 30 minutes to an hour in the decanter first as it takes time to wake up. This 15 year old wine.
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TASTING NOTES:
2000 was a late cool vintage in Napa Valley and this wine has always been a beautifully balanced, subdued wine showing Cabernet Franc’s more herbaceous side. The nose shows rich aromas of rose petal, graphite, cedar, tar, green olive, cherry and grilled meats. Lush and lively in the mouth with a great balance between texture, tannin and acidity. It shows the whole range of flavors on the palate – a complex and delicious balance of herb, mineral, fruit and spice. Surprisingly this wine hasn’t changed much in the past few years which suggests it still has another 5 or more years of life. However, if you have this rare vintage in your cellar I would suggest trying a bottle now- it is stunning. Give it air – maybe 30 minutes to an hour in the decanter first as it takes time to wake up. This 15 year old wine.
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TASTING NOTES:
This has long been a favorite vintage of mine. The Detert wines from 2002 are dense, rich and powerful and show off Oakville’s combination of supple texture and dense structure. A plush mouthful of mineral, tobacco, dark fruit, cocoa, menthol, and anise. Very complex and layered with a long powerful finish that coats the palate. Drinking beautifully and should continue to age for another 5 to 10 years.
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Aromas of black olive, tobacco, iron, grilled meat. Flavors echo in the mouth with olive, anise, cherry, cedar, cocoa. Complex layers of flavor and texture. This has developed beautifully, with a lush, supple texture and great length. Drinking wonderfully now and over the next few years – but I don’t think that this will be long lived.
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TASTING NOTES:
This takes some time to emerge – so I would recommend decanting prior to drinking to allow the aromas and flavors to “wake up”. This was a fairly backward vintage on release with – dense and structured. Aromas of baking cocoa, dark chocolate, sage, mineral and dried roses. Dense and powerful but the structure has softened with age. The flavors are very savory, grilled meat, dried cherry, mineral, tobacco, tea and pretty floral notes of rose petal– very complex and long. Sausage, hints of blood and iodine, also stone fruit notes like plum and nectarine. This was a very tightly wound and tannic wine in its youth and still has a lot of tannin present – but really wonderful.
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Pure and supple with classic flavors of dark cherry, sweet tobacco, dried herbs, mineral. This has a lot of density, richness and purity to it. Great lush texture that coats the palate. Really delicious and one of the most gracefully developed of the Detert Francs. Very sophisticated, supple, dense and long. Beautiful now, at a perfect drinking stage.
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Dried currant, caramel, coffee and cherry aromas. Nicely focused in the mouth with a core of cherry pie flavors; baking spice, vanilla, cherry and pie crust. Lush, rich and finely textured. Great balance of richness and sophistication. The finish echoes for a long time with dark fruits, provencal herbs and baking spices. Excellent – at its best now and over the next 5 years but should continue to age through 2024.
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Aromas of dark cherry, bittersweet chocolate and anise. Wow! Dense rich and intense with dark cherry, black berry, tobacco, baking cocoa, fennel, anise, baking spices, liquid mineral and layers of flavors that unfold over the long complex finish. This has tremendous concentration and richness. Distinctive and utterly delicious now but probably hitting its sweet spot in 2015 to 2020. Should drink beautifully for another 10 years after that.
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A late cool vintage that has always shown off the floral/herbal side of Cabernet Franc. This wine has beautiful aromas of sweet tobacco, sage and anise. This sings texturally, with layers of silky tannin unwrapping to reveal delisious flavors of fresh cherry, cocoa, anise and mineral. Certainly the most silky and approachable of the wines in this age range, but with such fine balance that I expect this to age well for another 15 years. Sweet spot for drinking is now -2020 maybe longer. But will certainly continue to drink beautifully until 2024. Mouth filling and luxuriously fine, silky tannins.
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TASTING NOTES:
Lush and decadent with a sweet core of fruit and dense but soft tannin structure. This is showing bright red cherry liquor, vanilla, toast, carmel and cocoa. Tobacco, cedar, olive and dark cherry in the mouth. Silky but present tannins. This wine is very open and accessible now and will continue to evolve in the short term. I would err on drinking this delicious Franc now and over the next 5 years although it may continue to age further.
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TASTING NOTES:
Powerfully aromatic with a fruit driven nose of black berry, plum and hints of nutmeg and vanilla. Rich sensuous mouthful of stone fruits, dark chocolate, currant and background notes of anise, tobacco and minerals. Long and textured with sophisticated tannins framing the finish. While delicious now, this Cabernet Franc will show even more richness and layering with a few years in the cellar.
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TASTING NOTES:
Aromas are pure and focused showing violets, black cherry, baking cocoa and sage. Broad mouthfeel with wonderful richness and density. Flavors of dark chocolate, cherry and anise unfold and persist on the long sophisticated finish. This wine is a baby with great concentration and depth.
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TASTING NOTES:
This vintage shows classic Detert Cabernet Franc aromas of baking cocoa, mocha, cassis, anise and sage. Full bodied with mouth filling richness and wonderful texture that is both lush and dense. Delicious flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, anise and notes of mineral and baking spice. The long finish echoes dark fruit flavors and again shows off the rich soft texture of this wine.
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TASTING NOTES:
Gorgeous aromas of dark cherry, black berry, violets and vanilla are the lead-in to a powerful, dense and lushly textured wine, overlaid with classic Detert Franc flavors of baking cocoa, cassis, sage and mineral. Incredible concentration while remaining fresh, lively and sophisticated. The tannins are both powerful and elegant and draw out the long, flavorful and impeccably detailed finish. A long life ahead and at its height from 2020 to 2030.
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TASTING NOTES:
Displays the classic Detert aroma profile of graphite, black cherry, currant, espresso, bittersweet cocoa, and dried herbs. Supple, powerful and energetic in the mouth, revealing a complex range of flavors including cherry, baking chocolate, dried lavender, anise, mineral, graphite and black olive. Finishes very long with refined tannin and intricate flavors of dark fruits, flowering herbs, baking spice and sandalwood. Delicious.
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TASTING NOTES:
A delicious, supple Detert Cabernet Franc with the classic texture, power and range of flavors that this vineyard produces. Dense, lush and layered in the mouth, revealing flavors of licorice, dark chocolate, currant and fig preserves over a silky framework of tannin. Long, plush finish shows a range of dried herbs, currant, anise, sandalwood and cocoa that builds and builds. Totally delicious now.
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TASTING NOTES:
Gorgeous aromas of black cherry, floral black berry notes, baking chocolate and black pepper with background notes of tobacco leaf and graphite. Super textural in the mouth, with a lush, velvety enveloping structure. Long and complex with layers of floral dark fruits, mineral and savory herb with hints of black olive in the background. Along with the richness and complexity, the Cabernet Franc is bright, fresh and lively with a dense core of mineral, bittersweet cocoa, anise and refined finishing tannin. Delicious now with some hours in the decanter and destined to be a long-lived Cabernet Franc that will bring pleasure for decades.
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TASTING NOTES:
The 2019 Cabernet Franc leads with expressive floral blackberry, grilled herbs and baking chocolate aromas. Supple and energetic in the mouth, showing a complex range of plum, blackberry, espresso and cocoa powder flavors layered with mineral and herbs. All balanced on an elegant framework with a long flavorful finish over fine-grained tannins. Has all the hallmarks of classic Detert Cabernet Franc - delicious now and sure to develop for 20+ years.
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TASTING NOTES:
Beautiful aromas of black cherry, graphite, cocoa and herb. Wonderful texture and richness on the mid palate with complex flavors of currant, black cherry, mineral and herb notes echoing. Fresh and energetic, this is a youthful and powerful wine that will continue to gain layers with age. Delicious now and sure to gain nuance through 2032 and beyond.
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TASTING NOTES:
Rich, textured and powerful – showing the delicious vibrancy and intensity of the vintage. This is a classic, layered Cabernet Franc showcasing aromas of dark berries, violets, and minerals. Plush and energetic in the mouth where the baking chocolate, black cherry and savory herb notes cascade over a dense, rich backbone. Exceptional. 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
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TASTING NOTES:
This wine has always been a stunner. From old vines on our cousin's property (H for Horton) which is contiguous to Detert, this is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet with incredible density, richness and supple texture. Similar profile to the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon above but turns up the intensity of flavor on an even smoother texture. Lots of mineral, tobacco and olive notes laid over currant and black cherry. Truly a special wine with an old-school flavor profile and structure. We made only one barrel of this so not many bottles have gotten around. This is also throwing a lot of sediment -worth standing the bottle up for a day or two and then decanting off of the sediment before drinking.
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TASTING NOTES:
A little plusher and showier than the Cab Franc with a sweeter core of fruit. But also driven by savory herbs, grilled meat, dried stone-fruit. Shows a wide range of complex bottle age characteristics of herb, tea, dried roses and dried fruits. Pretty compelling now and I’m not sure of the longevity. This is 10 years old now and I would drink now and over the next 5 years.
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TASTING NOTES:
Great texture and richness. Dark notes of black cherry, mineral, sage, dried herbs and stone. Nice density and persistence. Fine grained tannins and good richness but not as dense and sophisticated as the Franc.
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TASTING NOTES:
A sleeper vintage, which on release was tightly wound and not revealing much aroma, texture or flavor. That has changed!
Nose of dark cherry, violets, cherry blossom over a stony, minerally layer that also echoes Provencal herbs and grilled meat. Great balance in the mouth with wonderfully smooth texture and flavors of dark cherry, cocoa, mocha, licorice and fennel. Sweet tobacco, black olive, floral and dark cherry notes linger for a long time on the finish. Delicious. Still a young wine; while it has developed some beautiful secondary characteristics from bottle age and has softened, it has the richness, density and structure for another 10+ years in the bottle. But I’d say the sweet spot for drinking this is now through 2020.
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TASTING NOTES:
Beautiful layers of cherry liquour, dried herbs, currant and olive aromas. This is a satisfying Cabernet now with supple, open texture and flavors of mineral, toast and cherry. Long and smooth in the mouth with lush tannins and lingering flavors of herb and cherry on the finish. Delicous now and over the next 5 years.
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TASTING NOTES:
Dense, rich and delicious. This is a real crowd pleaser with a silky texture and wonderful combination of dark cherry, black berry and cocoa flavors as well as black olive, tobacco and tapenade. Long and framed on a beautifully dense and lush structure. Great balance and purity. Beautiful wine that is drinking well now and may continue to improve but probably should be enjoyed now and through 2019.
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TASTING NOTES:
Dark berry, plum, cocoa, violet aromas. Rich, dense and powerful in the mouth, with a long, sweet, dark-cherry entry and a dense core of fruit over a lush texture. Mineral, toast, vanilla, cherry, sweet tobacco and cedar flavors play out over the extremely long finish. This wine is a baby –fresh and lively with great density and richness and very fine-grained tannins. It will soften and become more expressive with a few more years in bottle. Delicious now, but great things ahead. I think the sweet spot for drinking is 2016-2025.
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2010 Cabernet Sauvignon – Beautiful nose of dark berries, stone fruit and floral notes. Dense dark and concentrated showing cassis, currant and baking chocolate flavors with subtle layers of black olive and mineral. Densely structured and wonderfully textured. This too is drinking beautifully now with decanting but will continue to improve over the next decade.
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TASTING NOTES:
Beautiful nose of sweet blackberry, black cherry and mineral notes. On the palate, there is a great range of flavors from dark berry to savory herb and tobacco. Finishes with black berry and baking coca flavors over a mineral-driven background.
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The 2014 Detert Cabernet Sauvignon displays an enticing range of dark cherry, cassis, coffee, savory herb and tobacco aromas. The palate is seductive - rich, dense and concentrated revealing flavors of berry and cassis layered with notes of baking cocoa and hints of black olive. Dense, textured and layered.
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TASTING NOTES:
"Blackberry, graphite, herb, currant and cocoa powder aromas are seductive. Powerful and plush in the mouth with a dense, textured core of dark fruit, herbs and minerality. Very fine grained and elegant tannin frames a complex, stylish and long finish."
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TASTING NOTES:
Beautiful, lifted aromas of cassis, plum, dark berries and herbs fruit. On the palate, shows wonderful balance between concentrated richness and lively, fresh flavors. Layers of bittersweet cocoa, plum and berry flavors transition to complex stone, mineral and herb notes. Super long, lingering and complex finish with sophisticated, integrated tannins.
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TASTING NOTES:
Graphite, mineral, plum, cassis, dark fruits and dark chocolate aromas translate to the same wonderful flavors on the palate. Broad and penetrating, with a really compelling energetic core of mineral, black cherry and savory herb notes. Fantastic texture and length and a long complex finish that shows off beautifully integrated tannin. A lot of complexity, detail and classic character here.
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TASTING NOTES:
Very floral, with beautiful violet, rose petal and fresh black currant, light roasted coffee bean and black licorice aromas. Bright, refined, very long and complex in the mouth with a delicious cherry fruit character and tiers of floral, spice and mineral notes. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon has a classic, elegant structure, refined tannin and a refreshing juiciness. Elegant, classic, very long and so delicious that it demands another glass.
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TASTING NOTES:
Gorgeous aromas of violets, minerals, black cherry and mocha. The flavors are equally seductive, with an energetic spine supporting a rush of black currant, cherry and anise over dried herbs, mineral and spice. Very long and complex – this is so tempting now but will reward patience.
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TASTING NOTES:
Reveals dark fruit aromas, mineral and grilled herb notes. On the palate, complex flavors of cassis, black currant and mineral flavors linger. Impressive power and density wrapped in an elegant, structured core. Compelling now and will continue to develop through 2032 and on.
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TASTING NOTES:
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a showstopper. Powerful, but elegant. Refined, concentrated and layered with tiers of black cherry, dark chocolate, camphor, mineral, and sage flavors. Very long, complex and seamless in the mouth. A very special vintage of the Detert Cabernet Sauvignon. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc
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Classic, elegant, powerful and true to site. This shows a complex core of black currant, anise, espresso and baking chocolate. Delicious dark fruit, mineral and savory herb flavors carry across the silky palate. Fine grained tannins frame the long, layered and sophisticated finish. A beautiful wine.
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TASTING NOTES:
Beguiling aromas of black berry, dark cherry, cocoa, baking spice and herbs. Very dense, and powerful but also impressively pure, lush and polished in the mouth. A beautiful range of dark berry flavors are framed by complex anise, black licorice, hints of espresso and mineral notes. The finish is extremely long and flavorful and framed by graceful plush tannin. A classic Detert East Block that will drink well from 2020 to 2035.
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TASTING NOTES:
Make tasting note: Classic aromas of grilled herbs, bay leaf, baking cocoa, black currant and anise which are echoed on the generously textured palate. Broad and mouth-filling, this has a thrilling balance of a dense backward core of old-vine fruit character and a lively inner-energy. Beautifully layered, complex and totally compelling. Shows the classic East Block character balancing fruit and savory characteristics and a tug between power and restraint. The exceptional finesse of this wine means it will drink well on release but will be at its best from 2022-2032 and beyond.
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Intoxicating aromas of cassis, bittersweet cocoa, licorice, black currant, lavender and espresso.
Rich and palate coating with layers of dark fruits, herb, mineral, dark chocolate and complex earthy notes. Absolutely delicious with a remarkable combination of pure flavors, silky texture and a brooding density as well as energy and freshness. Classic East Block sophistication and framework. This is gorgeous now but best with a few hours in a decanter or a few years in the cellar.
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TASTING NOTES:
Intoxicating aromas of cassis, bittersweet cocoa, licorice, black currant, lavender and espresso.
Rich and palate coating with layers of dark fruits, herb, mineral, dark chocolate and complex earthy notes. Absolutely delicious with a remarkable combination of pure flavors, silky texture and a brooding density as well as energy and freshness. Classic East Block sophistication and framework. This is gorgeous now but best with a few hours in a decanter or a few years in the cellar.
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TASTING NOTES:
The ultimate expression of the Detert Vineyard, the 2019 East Block exudes old-vine character with complexity and sophistication. Spectacularly aromatic, showing a range of thyme, grilled herbs, cassis and baking chocolate. Textured, powerful but also elegant and energetic in the mouth. Lush and palate coating, with complex flavors of black cherry, cured meats, black licorice, gun flint and cassis. Great density but also precise, lively and beautifully layered. Finishes with fine grained-tannins and flavors that keep gliding. Awesome.
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