Checkerboard Vineyards Kings Row Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

The Checkerboard label has, in just one year, become one of the more sought-after wines for collectors and consumers! The property is located on Diamond Mountain, in the western hills of the Napa Valley, and the wines are made by the exceptionally talented Martha McClellan (also of Sloan and Levy & McClellan). What makes the Checkerboard wines rise above others at this price point is the shear intensity, harmony, balance, and individuality, along with that je ne sais quoi. We feel this wine is of the same quality as other superstars like Caymus Special Selection, Continuum, Dalla Valle, Lewis, or even Peter Michael. The Kings Row bottling is a second wine of Checkerboard, but it is important to know that the vineyards are virtually the same as Checkerboard, and the wine is made with the same barrel program, oak treatment and aging. The only difference here is the blend, which is completed after the final blend is finished for Checkerboard. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 3% Petite Verdot, the wine is even more complex and structured than the 2008, very well balanced with black fruit, milk chocolate, oak spice and a ripe, supple, lush texture, finishing with tighter tannins.  

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