2019 Carte Blanche 'The Mark' Proprietary Red Napa Valley
This Bordeaux blend is making its mark in Napa Valley with a full-bodied density of fruit that’ll take your breath away. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon with 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot, Keplinger flaunts her skill in a vivid cellar gem that Jeb Dunnuck calls “loaded with potential.”
Vinous
The 2019 The Mark, Carte Blanche's red blend, is powerful and explosive to the core. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and espresso all meld together. The 2019 offers an intriguing mix of opulent and more vibrant notes and emerge over time. I very much admite the complexity, energy and freshness here. The 2019 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from Missouri Hopper, Merlot from Orchard and Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from Sage Ridge.
Wine Spectator
Really well-built, with lean muscle and great form, showing cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors nicely melded with a hint of melted black licorice, roasted alder, violet and cool, dark earth. Reveals a terrific sense of polish and refinement through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038. 250 cases made.
Jeb Dunnuck
Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc (the percentages weren't specified), the 2019 The Mark is a big, rich, dense, bruiser of a wine that's loaded with darker cherry and blackberry fruits as well as tobacco, scorched earth, cedar pencil, and leafy herbs. It opens up slightly with air and has full-bodied richness, ripe yet certainly present tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will cruise for 15+ in cold cellars.