2016 Michel Rolland MR Napa Valley Red

In 1984 Michel Rolland arrived the first time to Napa Valley as a young winemaker. Although he is widely considered the most famous wine consultant in the world, it was not until the thirtieth anniversary of his arrival that he finally realized his dream to make his own eponymous wine. MR Napa Valley Cuvee is a tribute to the Valley, which is now his second family, a land he knows as well as that of his native Pomerol.

Michel Rolland is a wine world superstar who has been working with winemaker Jean Hoefliger since the 2006 vintage to create world-class wines. With one of the world’s most famous palates, Rolland brings his extraordinary expertise to both the vineyard and the cellar. Besides consulting for highly-regarded wineries around the world, Rolland continues to produce his own wines at his estates in Bordeaux where he also directs one of the wine industry’s most respected laboratories. A major force in the winemaking world, his expressed mission is to help others make elegant, approachable wines.

Aging: 18 months in 75% New French Oak

Tasting notes: Red Wine. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. Deep, dark cherry with touches of garnet and currant. The nose makes a triumphant entrance with a beautiful bouquet of cedar, touches of dark chocolate, spices like cinnamon, thyme, paprika lingering on plum, cassis, coconut, and clay. On the palate, there's a fresh but velvety entrance lingering on fine tannins and acidity with touches of boysenberries, starfruit, cherries, violet, pansy, and raspberries.