Antica's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Select encapsulates the essence of Napa Valley, reflecting the deep-rooted heritage of the Antinori family, known for their 26 generations of winemaking expertise. Nestled on a high plain in the eastern mountains, this estate benefits from unique terroir, characterized by rocky soils and high elevations, making it an ideal location for crafting exceptional wines.
This wine is a masterful blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, offering an opulent experience with an inviting bouquet of blackcurrant, black cherry, and black peppercorn, enhanced by hints of cedar, espresso, and leather. The full-bodied palate showcases rich, balanced tannins and a sumptuous texture, culminating in a lengthy finish that reveals layers of brambly mountain fruit and cherry spice.
Aroma: Compelling notes of cassis, blackberries, warm black cherries, complemented by red roses, fragrant soil, and tobacco leaf.
Taste: Plush and succulent, with flavors of blackberry jam, spice, new leather, and chocolate creating a complex profile.
Finish: A clean, focused finish with a firm, grainy texture supporting the muscular fruit and savory undertones.
94 James Suckling Lots of pretty blue fruit and purple flowers on the nose, with cocoa powder, walnut husk and plum stone too. Full-bodied with firm, broad tannins. Structured and concentrated with a clean, focused finish. Try after 2024.
93 Vinous The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Select is plush, succulent and super-expressive. Blackberry jam, spice, new leather and chocolate give this inky, opulent wine plenty of complexity. The 2019 is the most flamboyant wine I have tasted from Antica, where the Cabernets have typically been a bit more restrained than this.
93 Natalie MacLean From Antinori Napa Valley, California, Antica Mountain Select 2019 is a Cabernet-Sauvignon driven red wine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Dry, full-bodied, fragrant and plushy, the wine is showing richly layered blueberry, black currant, chocolate, minty, spicy and mineral flavours zesty on the palate. Tannins are grippy. Good now, better in 2025 when the tannins have had a chance to relax. Drink or cellar to 2030.
92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Select is composed of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sashays out of the glass with compelling notes of cassis, blackberries and warm black cherries, plus hints of red roses, fragrant soil and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate has a firm, grainy texture to support the muscular fruit, delivering a savory finish.
91 Wine Spectator Juicy and inviting, with succulent plum, cherry and boysenberry fruit lined with violet and red licorice notes, which cruise through the finish while letting in light alder and dried savory hints. Drink now through 2030.
91 Jeb Dunnuck The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Select (there's 3% Cabernet Franc) is largely in the same style, with a classic, balanced, medium-bodied style as well as impressive, yet more herbal aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, tobacco, cedar pencil, spice, and earth. I love its balance, it has silky tannins, and outstanding length.
