Der Cardinale ist ein Napa Valley Rotwein der zum Imperium der Jackson Familie zählt. Das besondere ist. dass das Weingut Cardinale zwar als Gebäude im Oakville District beheimatet ist. bei der Frucht für den späteren Top Wein Cardinale aber verschiedenen Weinberge genutzt werden. Die Weinberge verteilen sich in den besten Appelationen des Nap Valley: Diamond Mountain District. Mount Veeder. Stags Leap. Howell Mountain. St. Helena. Spring Mountain District. Für den Cardinale 2013 Proprietary Red Wine verwendet der begnadete Christopher Carpenter aus 10 verschiedenen Weinbergen Cabernet Sauvignon des Napa Valley welche dann 86% der finalen Blend repräsentieren. Und aus den Weinbergen des Howell Mountain Districts stammen 14% Merlot in der Blend für den Cardinale 2013. Der Ausbau erfolgt über 19 Monate in 100% französischem Holz. der Neuholzanteil beträgt 91%. Die Abfüllung erfolgt ungeschönt und unfiltriert.
Robert Parker beschreibt am 30. Oktober 2015 den Cardinale 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wie folgt:
A brilliant wine from winemaker Chris Carpenter and the Kendall-Jackson family, this blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, mostly coming from mountain vineyards owned by the Jackson family, is fabulous. The 2013 Cardinale Proprietary Red Wine is dense purple-colored, a big, sweet kiss of crème de cassis as well as licorice, blackberry and espresso are all present in this full-bodied, rather sublime and intense Cabernet Sauvignon that should drink well for 25 or more years. This was aged in about 91% new French oak for 18-20 months prior to bottling. It is certainly one of the finest Cardinales I have tasted in my experience.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is simply stunning. A real head-turner,the2013 possesses superb density and tons of pure power. The flavors are deep, powerful and explosive... This is a real stand out.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, October 2015
- Christopher Carpenter, Winemaker
“I think what separates the exceptional artist from the great artist is a body of consistently great work with examples that move beyond “great” to the exceptional. John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, Michelangelo’s David, Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, are all examples of just this idea. The artist’s general body of work is significant in its ability to move you but the specific examples spiritually touch you. In the wine world Napa Valley is one of those geographies whose consistent, high quality vintages move you emotionally. In any given decade you may have four really good vintages and six excellent vintages; trying to distinguish between them becomes a matter of personal taste. Vintage 2013, though, was one of those vintages that moved beyond that scale. This was a vintage of perfect conditions–conditions for developing a balance and variety of flavor, acid and tannin at levels that will carry the wines across time. This vintage will go down as one of the most exceptional of the 21st century. At Cardinale, as we sat down to blend the 2013s, we knew that Mother Nature had created her transcendent work. It was up to us to present Cardinale to you as one of the wines that would exemplify this vintage now and far into the future. This was a responsibility we did not take lightly, knowing we had to focus on the depth, the power, the subtlety and complexity of this vintage. In the end I am confident we created a wine that captures that idea and those aspects and celebrates 2013 as it should be–transcendent. Enjoy!”