Round Pond Pool from above

2012 Gravel Series ‘Secret Garden’ Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5L

This wine begins in a place few ever see.
 
From our 10-acre share, we select just two exceptional blocks to craft the Secret Garden Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% Oakville Cabernet, this is the most concentrated wine we produce, yet it’s never about power alone. It’s a study in elegance and restraint — silky, refined, and quietly commanding. A wine that speaks softly, but leaves a lasting impression. 

We dedicate this wine to our Mother – an incredible role model for all the women in our family – whose strength is legendary and eye for beauty remarkable.

Gravel Series wines are the pinnacle of our portfolio. These block-designate Cabernet Sauvignons are sourced from three unique gravel microsites across our Rutherford Estate and Oakville M-Bar properties—chosen for their ability to produce wines of exceptional power, elegance, and distinction. Crafted in extremely limited quantities, these wines are available exclusively through the winery.

Accolades

“Sweet, layered and inviting, the 2012 is all sensuality. Dark red cherry, mocha, cloves and new leather are some of the signatures...the Secret Garden is deeper, darker and also oakier. It should provide a long drinking window of pure pleasure very much in the voluptuous style that is typical of the vintage.” – 93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Tasting Notes

Vivid, ruby-red color. The bouquet boasts a beautiful combination of dark fruit and floral essence, with confectionary hints. The more feminine notes of dried flowers are complemented by cranberry, plum and tobacco. The 2012 is rich and opulent - with the evolution of fruit meandering across the palate. A burst of bright red fruit on entry darkens quickly through the mid palate and shows more cassis and blue fruit. The structure builds with flavors of cherry rhubarb and spice. A long finish is filled with Herbs de Provence, tobacco, rich earth notes, and an echo of sweet vanilla bean. Bigger and bolder earlier in life, this wine will gain greater complexity and develop nuance for more than 15+ years.

Vineyard Notes

The 2012 harvest is heralded as a classic vintage from start to finish. The Napa Valley saw textbook conditions with a timely bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set, and an excellent stretch of warm days and cool, foggy nights. This moderate weather throughout the growing season put little pressure on the vine and provided grapes with well-balanced chemistry and intense flavors. In the absence of late season excessive heat or rain, the grapes were able to attain phenolic ripeness without risking extreme sugar levels or loss of acidity.

Technical Details

Type:
Red
Varietal:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:
California
Appellation:
Oakville
Vintage:
2012