Decanter.com
byJonathan Cristaldithe6/25/2025
The 2022 Cardinale is impressively built. You have to understand—there was a major heat event near the end of the growing season. But this wine? It shows none of it. Not even a whisper. If anything, the tannins are slightly more approachable, a touch more supple—but they're no less stratospheric than what we've come to expect from this bottling. The real kicker is the mid-palate density and length. The wine has tremendous persistence, tension, and detail, with dark berry fruit unfurling in layers—blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry—woven with perfumed rose petals, violets, white pepper, and underbrush. With air, blue fruit tones begin to emerge, adding lift and intrigue. There's an impressive balance of spice, minerality, and tension—rare for this vintage. Hats off. In my tasting with winemaker Chris Carpenter, we spoke at length about how Lokoya expresses Napa’s mountain sub-appellations with site-specific clarity. But with Cardinale—the Oakville-based crown jewel of the Jackson Family portfolio—the philosophy is different: the sum must be greater than the parts. This is not an estate wine. It is a masterful blend, culled from multiple appellations—typically three to nine per vintage—crafted for harmony, complexity, and longevity. In 2022, the blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Atlas Peak, Stags Leap, Rutherford, and St. Helena, with 4% Merlot from the Keyes Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain. The wine was aged for 22 months in 81% new French oak.