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  • Country ranking ?

    241
  • Producer ranking ?

    17
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    Now-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Sauteed venison fillet, grilled quail & cheeses

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

Blankiet's 'Bordeaux Medoc-blend' of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine is sheer power in a silk glove.

Paradise Hills Vineyard is located on the western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains above Yountville in the cooler part of the Napa Valley. Grapes planted in this area take longer to mature on the vine allowing for riper tannins, darker pigmentation and deeply perfumed fruit. The vineyards are east and southeast facing, ideal for maximizing photosynthesis with intense morning sun and natural protection from the hot afternoon rays.

Heat summation charts Paradise Hills Vineyard temperatures from 3000 to 3500 degree – day per season for the past 10 years. The climate is a bit warmer than Bordeaux but the summer days are sunny and dry with cool nights. Temperatures swing 50 degrees in a 24-hour period, allowing full phenolic ripening of the grapes while maintaining a fresh acidity. Paradise Hills is cooled by constant breezes flowing from the cold waters of the San Pablo Bay. The grape berries tend to develop a thicker skin that protects them from dehydration.

 

Paradise Hills displays an almost textbook assortment of different soil conditions that comprise ancient Pacific seabed formations of greenstone, sandstone, limestone, shale, white volcanic tuffs and pyroclastic lava flows.

Cabernet Sauvignon is planted on the porous volcanic soils that produce wines with concentrated tannins and complex flavours. Cabernet Franc is planted on an east facing slope of clay loam over fractured rocks at the top of the canyon. Natural protection from the hot afternoon sun allows the maturation of the grapes to be extended ten days later than valley floor or west facing vineyards. Planted on the steepest East facing slopes at the end of the canyon, our Petit Verdot grapes are the last to be harvested from the Paradise Hills vineyard. Merlot is planted on a deep band of brown alluvial clay eroded from the mountain range. The steep slopes are facing North – North East and wrap around the South side of the canyon.

 

Paradise Hills Vineyard is farmed organically and great care is given to maintain soil balance. Nutrients taken from the land during the growing season are replaced using green manure. A mix of winter grasses and legumes such as clover, winter rye, sorghum and sweet peas, are seeded between rows. When Spring comes, the grasses are mowed down and spaded back into the soil.

Grape vines regenerate from seeds and/or from vegetative offshoots of the canes. Seed reproduction is a long and complicated pathway, therefore growers use cuttings to create new vines.  If vines are permitted to expand their energy on vegetative growth they will do so at the expense of ripening fruit.

 

Coaxing grapevines and their relentless propensity on growing canes and leaves instead of fruit requires an enormous amount of labor. That is why vineyards planted in nutrition-depleted and well-drained hillsides are naturally better suited in producing small crops of intensely flavoured berries.

To further enhance wine concentration and complexity, the number of clusters a vine is allowed to ripen is restricted.  During the growing season buds, flowers, leaves and clusters are carefully thinned out, allowing each vine to produce a metered amount of fruit in accordance to its age, terroir and specific weather conditions of the year.

 

Water needs are carefully monitored by checking the amount of moisture in the leaves to prevent the vines from shutting down. Diminishing sunlight by mid-summer tells the vines the end of the season is in sight and all their energy is to be spent in ripening the berries.

 

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Wine Information

Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot

REVIEW:

96 points by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW / Wine Advocate (Aug 2018)

Deep garnet colored with just a hint of brick, the 2007 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard opens with compelling notes of baked plums, blackberry tart and fruitcake with an undercurrent of dried Provence herbs, menthol, beef drippings, unsmoked cigars and cedar chest. The concentrated, full-bodied palate is laden with minted black fruits and meaty/savory flavors, framed with a firm, grainy texture and wonderful freshness, finishing very long.

97 points by Robert Parker / Wine Advocate (Dec 2010)

The 2007 Paradise Hills Vineyard Proprietary Red (60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot) exhibits abundant notes of espresso, chocolate, creme de cassis, blackberry, forest floor and graphite. Full-bodied, dense and rich, it is just beginning to reveal some secondary nuances as well as complexity. There are 940 cases of this big, rich 2007 that should continue to drink well for two decades. Claude and Katherine Blankiet continue to make subtle changes in their winemaking at Blankiet Estate. Michel Rolland has been replaced by Denis Malbec, but superstar viticulturist David Abreu still manages this gorgeous hillside vineyard in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, just behind the large estate of Dominus. The 2008s have improved dramatically since last year, which may be the result of the culling out of certain lots for their second wine called Prince of Hearts. The 2007s essentially performed as well as they did last year, and it appears to be the greatest vintage yet produced at Blankiet.

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Tasting note

color

Deep and Purple

ending

Long, Lingering and Spicy

flavors

Blackcurrant

nose

Intense and Seductive

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Well-structured, Full-bodied, Harmonious, Rich and Elegant

Written Notes

Deep, purple colour. Seductive, elegant and Intensive spicy nose that delivers dark chocolate and cassis aromas. The palate is elegant, yet full-bodied. Intensive fruitiness, vivid acidity and supple tannins form a harmonious balance on palate. The finish is lingering long and opulent. Great wine to drink already but will definitely benefit from 10 to 15 years ageing
  • 95p

Deep, purple colour. Refined, seductive nose shows spicy, ripe black currant, and dark chocolate aromas. Full-bodied palate is elegant, intensively fruity with vivid acidity and polished tannins. Lingering, long, opulent finish. Very refined texture. Wine like a taylor made shoe. – JL 94p (8/2011)

  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Yountville, Napa Valley

Grapes

40% Merlot
60% Cabernet Sauvignon

Drinking temperature

17-18C
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