Cardinale - Napa Valley 2015

The 2015 vintage was marked by a steady spring that did not see a huge amount of rain or temperature fluctuations. Warmer temperatures continued through the growing season and into late summer. These conditions caused the vineyards to bear less fruit and resulted in grapes that were small, concentrated and packed with immense flavor intensity. Every year Cardinale has an area that really shines. In 2015, it was a combination of Diamond Mountain and Spring Mountain vineyards that came to the forefront of the blend. The aromatics produced by Spring Mountain and the volume and body produced by Diamond Mountain are the driving force that truly carry this wine in the 2015 vintage.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

par Linda Murphy le 28/09/2018

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

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 26/09/2018

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

Vinous

96 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 01/05/2018

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.

Jeb DUNNUCK

97 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 29/12/2017

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.

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 29/12/2017

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+