Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc, Napa 2002
Price $17.50
Rating 90
"The grapes for our 2002 Napa Valley sauvignon blanc, blended with 8% semillon and 3% sauvignon musqué (an especially aromatic clone of the sauvignon variety), came from vineyards in the Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga areas," says founder Jack Cakebread. "It is brimming with supremely fresh, bright aromas of grapefruit and spicy melon, with hints of fig and white peach. On the palate, the wine is youthfully crisp, but quite rich, with concentrated, mouthwatering flavors, superb structure, and a long, citrus-filled finish." The winery suggests pairing this crisp white wine with shellfish and virtually all seafood and poultry dishes.

Cakebread Chardonnay, Napa 2002
Price $33
Rating 92
"Approximately 50% of the grapes for our Napa Valley chardonnay come from the cool Carneros region in the southern tip of Napa Valley, with the balance from vineyards in the warmer portion of the valley," explains founder Jack cakebread. "This enables us to produce a chardonnay with rich, ripe fruit flavors balanced by crisp acidity. There is a fresh, pure aroma of ripe apples and pears with hints of peach, tropical fruits and vanilla cream. On the palate, the wine is youthfully compact and crisp, revealing deep, intense fruit flavors with an appealing flinty, minerally tone." The winery suggests pairing this rich, full-flavored white wine with pan roasted king salmon, Maryland crab risotto, as well as chicken with orange and thyme.

Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay, Napa 2001
Price $45
Rating 94
"The grapes for our Napa Valley Chardonnay Reserve come exclusively from the cool Carneros district," says founder Jack Cakebread. "We harvest from sections of various vineyards that feature a variety of small-berried chardonnay clones, which, in conjunction with the region's typically long, cool growing season, produce fruit with intense, complex flavors. boasts intense, complex fruit aromas of melon, apple, pineapple and gooseberry, augmented by toasty oak tones and a hint of butterscotch. Deep, dense and full on the palate, it boasts a remarkably long, toasty, creamy finish. This is a big, rich, intensely flavored chardonnay that should age well in the bottle for five to eight years." The winery suggests pairing this rich, complex white wine with risotto with prawns, pizza with wild mushrooms, as well as a Spanish potato omelette.

Cakebread Pinot Noir, Carneros 2001
Price $40
Rating 91
"The grapes for this wine came from five vineyards in the cool, often foggy, Carneros region in southern Napa Valley, which is heavily influenced by nearby San Pablo Bay and renowned for its world-class pinot noir," explains founder Jack Cakebread. "There is a fragrant, varietally expressive aroma of black cherry fruit, with hints of dried rose, spice and cassis. Its velvety, mouth-filling, black cherry flavors are supported by moderate tannins and culminate in a long, fruit-filled finish." The pinot noir is a more limited production and is worth the challenge of finding. The winery suggests pairing this velvety red wine with smoked duck sausage with lentil salad, Asian barbeque salmon, or five spice quail

Cakebread Merlot, Napa 2000
Price $47
Rating 94
"The fruit for our 2000 Cakebread Napa Valley Merlot comes from two distinctly different Napa Valley regions," observes winery founder Jack Cakebread. "From the southern Carneros region, where cooler temperatures produce fruit with higher acids and true varietal characteristics, we obtain merlot with dark fruit aromas and flavors. In Rutherford, where temperatures are generally much warmer throughout the day, our merlot fruit exhibits bright, forward flavors of red berry and cherry. Combining grapes from these two areas produces wines of extraordinary depth and complexity."

The makers take pride with this red which displays a dark purple color with concentrated aromas of blackberry and soft hints of coffee, cedar, nutmeg and vanilla/spice. On the palate, fresh plum and cherry flavors mix with black pepper, cassis, and then there is a touch of oak. There is rich, velvety texture, complex flavors and long finish. "This wine will complement a wide variety of foods, including spareribs with red wine vinegar, rosemary and sweet peppers," boasts Cakebread.

Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2000
Price $49
Rating 95
"The grapes for our Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, which is blended with 20% merlot and 2% cabernet franc, come from more than a dozen vineyards stretching from the cool Carneros district in the south to the warm Calistoga region at the northern end of the valley, with the majority from the mid-valley Rutherford appellation," explains founder Jack Cakebread.
"Blending fruit from multiple clones and microclimates enables us to craft a complex cabernet melding the bright cherry/berry fruit characteristic of Napa’s cooler regions with the intense black-fruit flavors and firm tannins typical of the valley’s warmer climes."

"This big jet fuel of a red wine displays a dark ruby/scarlet color and a classic Napa Valley cabernet aroma of ripe black cherry and currant fruit,"
adds Cakebread. "This is enhanced by well-integrated toast and vanilla oak tones. The wine’s rich, elegant, blackberry, cassis and plum flavors are beautifully structured by ripe, round tannins and persist through a long, fruit-filled finish."