About the Wine

“If you meet Robin, the wines make sense. They have power, finesse, charm and class.” – Philippe Melka, Winemaker

Step into the world of Lail Vineyards, where wine-making heritage dates back to 1879 with the founding of Inglenook Vineyards by Captain Gustav Niebaum. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find Robin Daniel Lail honouring this illustrious legacy with the 2021 J. Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, a testament to over 140 years of wine-making excellence.

Robin Daniel Lail grew up at the fabled Inglenook Vineyards, surrounded by the legacy of her great-granduncle, Captain Niebaum, and her father, John Daniel, Jr. This rich history is woven into the very fabric of Lail Vineyards, where tradition meets innovation in every glass.

“I was raised by my dad. John Daniel, Jr., in the grand family tradition of Inglenook. He was, like Gustave Niebaum before him, a leader, an innovator, and the producer of legendary wines. Our flagship wine at Lail Vineyards, the J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon, is named in his honor. My greatest challenge at Lail Vineyards is to create wines that meet and exceed the level of excellence set by my family in earlier generations."- Robin Daniel Lail

Lail's 2021 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon combines top-quality grapes from several prestigious vineyards, including Heimark in Calistoga, Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville, and Steltzner in Stags Leap, along with Lail's own Mole Hill on Howell Mountain.

2021 is looking to be one of the vintages of the decade. Vinous Media blessed this year with a 95-98 point score, and said: "Two thousand twenty-one is a fabulous vintage in Napa Valley. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that production is down sharply, 30-50% in many cases. The wines have tremendous energy as well as finesse. In tasting, the 2021s show some of the savory intensity of other drought vintages – 2013 and 2014 come to mind – but with more aromatic explosiveness and greater inner sweetness."

Aging: 20 months in 75% new French oak.

Tasting Notes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Reviews

Lail's 2021 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon blends lots from several high-end vineyards, including Heimark (Calistoga), Vine Hill Ranch (Oakville) and Steltzner (Stags Leap), plus Lail's own Mole Hill on Howell Mountain. It's an exciting wine, starting from the pulse-quickening aromas of raspberries and black cherries tinged with dark chocolate. In the mouth, this full-bodied beauty is richly concentrated, with a sensuous texture somewhere between silky and velvety, while the softly dusty finish shows terrific length and a spine-tingling hint of licorice. To reduce this wine to deceptively simple yet hard-to-pin-down words, it's complex, harmonious and elegant, yet it's enough of its place that it could only come from Napa Valley. ~100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Matching power with complexity, Robin Lail's densely concentrated, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon once again goes deep in black currants, blackberries, cocoa and toasted oak flavors. Velvety, mouthcoating tannins give the structure for a long aging period. Best from 2027–2040. ~98 Wine Enthusiast

One of the finest wines in the vintage, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dutch Henry Canyon area in Calistoga, Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville, and Stelzner in Stags Leap (which was added in 2018). It spent 20 months in 75% new French oak. Still tight and inward, it has sensational purity in its currant, mulberry, truffly earth, graphite, and leather aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, rich, incredibly concentrated 2021 that has the vintage’s fresher, focused style, ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for a quarter of a century. ~98 Jeb Dunnuck

Aromas of lush dark fruits of cassis and brambles followed by violets, sweet tobacco and cocoa powder with a subtle pencil shaving and gunpowder note. Full-bodied with solid yet ripe tannins and good acidity backbone. Very precisely framed and focused wine with astonishing structure and depth. It’s drinkable now but will also develop beautifully with age. ~95 Wine Spectator

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