Ulysses Napa Valley Estate Bottled Red Wine 2016 750ML
Ulysses Napa Valley Estate Bottled Red Wine 2016
Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California
Notes from the Winemaker
Remarkably fresh and full of energy, the Ulysses 2016 offers deep boysenberry,lavender and sage, spruce, rose petals, and wild cherry.
The palate vibrates with fine-grained tannins and a long, bracing finish.
Vintage Summary
2016 was characterized by a rainy and warmer than average winter.
With soil water reserves full, vines quickly grew dense and vigorous canopies. Bloom and veraison unfolded in warm and dry conditions. Ripening slowed down in August because of cooler temperatures and late morning fog.
Warm temperatures in September (99 F on 18th, 100 F on 25th, 100 F on 26th) helped fruit to ripen consistently.
Reviews and Accolades
99 Points/James Suckling
Aromas of sweet berries, fresh herbs, currant bush and licorice. Terracotta. Full body, layered and soft, velvety and focused tannins. Breathtaking texture. The focus ad polished is phenomenal. Harmonious. Enticing. Fascinating and thoughtful.
98 Points/Vinous
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. Bright, powerful and pulsing with energy, the 2016 possesses stunning textural depth allied to a real sense of drive. Black cherry, tobacco, menthol, sage and licorice give this Cabernet from southern Oakville much of its distinctive personality. In this tasting, the 2016 Ulysses simply towers with pedigree and character. I loved it. Although the track record is short, the 2016 is the finest wine Christian Moueix and Tod Mostero have made at Ulysses.
95 Points/Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of cassis, black cherries and blackberries with touches of bay leaves, lavender, rose hip tea and pencil shavings plus a waft of spice box developing with time. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a well-sustained mid-palate of youthful black fruit, a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a long, lively finish.
94 Points/Wine Spectator
This is well-built but stays restrained in style, featuring alluring cassis and blackberry flavors, lined with black tea, minerally iron and warm tobacco accents. A late flash of warm paving stone adds depth and range through the finish. Should put on weight in the cellar.
93 Points/Wine Enthusiast
With small additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this robust red is herbaceous and earthy in compost and forest floor. Earl Grey tea and red currant continue the savory thread of flavor amidst soft, silky tannins and well-integrated oak.