2017 Crocker & Starr ‘RLC’ Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Crocker & Starr ‘RLC’ Cabernet Sauvignon 

2017 Crocker & Starr ‘RLC’ Cabernet Sauvignon Brand new wine from established and well-regarded Crocker & Starr winery. The abbreviated name refers to the three soils types from the Crocker vineyard in St. Helena that go into the wine: rock, loam, and clay. The result is an extremely inviting and rewarding Cabernet: ripe and fruity, with a jammy core, backed up by pepper, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and herbal, minty overtones. Exciting to find stellar Napa Cab at this price.

Big, fruity, subtly oaked and well-structured, this full-bodied wine packs in flavors of blackberry jam and dark chocolate framed by firm tannins. It offers a lot of ripeness and concentration and comes with tantalizing nutmeg, cinnamon and toast accents that build on the palate and linger on the long-lasting finish.

After Pam Starr joined forces with Charlie Crocker in 1997, Pam transitioned the entire vineyard to organic farming. Although not formally certified “organic”, Pam and Charlie remain committed to responsible and sustainable farming techniques, combining the best of old-world philosophy and new-world fruit.

Pam planted Sauvignon Blanc at the Crocker Estate in 1998 in an effort to capture the best attributes of the grape. In 1999 Pam released the first ever vintage of Crocker & Starr to hit the market, the 1997 Cabernet Franc, forever altering the landscape of California Cabernet Francs. In 2000, the first vintage of Crocker & Starr’s crown jewel, the 1997 ‘Stone Place,’ was released, and two years later the first Sauvignon Blanc bottling was released with the 2001 vintage. Soon after, Wine Spectator named Crocker & Starr’s Sauvignon Blanc as the 12th best wine in the world in the publication’s 2005 “Top 100 List.” In the years after this major recognition, Crocker & Starr welcomes visitors, establishing a tasting room in 2009 and a private Vineyard Experience in 2010.

Four years later, plans for a new winemaking facility—which would be a replica of the original 1870s Dowdell Winery—on the grounds of the Crocker Estate began. The new winery opened just before harvest in 2016 – marking a new era for Crocker & Starr. Today, Evyn Cameron serves as the Head Winemaker at Crocker & Starr, with Pam as the President.