Napa Valley has an untold number of microclimates, which are small pockets of land where the climate differs substantially from the surrounding areas.  This is one of the leading factors why some of the best Napa Valley wine Estates are clustered closely together. Hence, Nick Goldschmidt’s Game Ranch Vineyard in Oakville… It has immediate neighbors that include Plumpjack, Rudd, Groth and Screaming Eagle.  It reminds me of an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon on steroids, because it’s so incredibly deep, full and concentrated.  As the wine opens up it tells a story of the vineyard and it’s a book that you won’t want to put down…

 

Cellared for an impressive 31 months in oak barrels, this is a classic depiction of Oakville Cabernet is reminiscent of Groth Reserve and Meyer Bonney’s with broad shoulders and deep, captivating flavors that unwind methodically as the wine opens in the glass.  Created by talented winemaker Nick Goldschmidt whom many of you recognize from his Crazy Creek Cabernet… arguably the best value in California Cabernet.  I once heard Robert Mondavi quote Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  The Game Ranch vineyard certainly stands tall among the giants that surround it..