95-Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Made by Schramsberg.
My favorite of the three 2019 Cabs presented by Davies comes from the estate vineyard on Diamond Mountain. The 2019 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon—86% Cabernet, with 10% Malbec and 2% each Merlot and Petit Verdot—features a whirl of complex aromas: mint, bay, cassis and blueberry notes are joined by bits of mocha, dark chocolate and asphalt. There's ripe, creamy texture on the full-bodied palate, which culminates in a long, supple, licorice-tinged finish.
 
95-Points by Decanter.
From the the Davies family, proprietors of Schramsberg. Here they show a deft hand with Cabernet. Fragrant dark berry fruit, sweet liquorice, delicate wild herbs, toffee and espresso bean notes. Supple dark berry and lighter strawberry-rhubarb fruit, baking spices and chicory, all reveal an expressive wine framed by sinewy mountain tannin and rich toasty oak, with flourishes of cacao and purple florals.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot, was aged for 23 months in 57% new French oak.
 
Winery Notes ~ The 2025 Winemaking Team includes J.P. Pierce, Katelyn Hill, Sam Rubanowitz, Hugh Davies, Jessica Koga, & Sean Thompson (R-L), as well as Consulting Winemaker Celia Welch
The 2019 J. Davies Estate Cabernet opens with voluptuous black fruit-blueberry, black cherry, boysenberry and plum-accentuated by undertones of chocolate, cinnamon, blackberry compote, espresso, dark cocoa, clove, and subtle herbs. Supple tannins anchor the wines well-structured palate, with vibrant flavors of red fruit and spice leading to a rich, long finish.
 
The Davies family, proprietors of Schramsberg Vineyards in Napa Valley, presents its 14th vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is produced from the historic Diamond Mountain vineyards purchased in 1965 and replanted to Bordeaux varietals beginning in 1994. The wine is named in honor of patriarch Jack L. Davies, who along with his wife, Jamie, revived the Schramsberg property and established the preeminent American sparkling wine house more than five decades ago. A creation of the next generation of the Davies family, the J. Davies Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the product of an intimate knowledge of a place and a passion to create a delicious red wine.
Vineyard ProfileThe vineyard blocks, totaling 41 acres, are laid out in three isolated pockets ranging from approximately 500 to 1,000 feet in elevation. They include the two Schram sections, Napa Valley’s first hillside vineyards, originally established in 1862 by Jacob Schram. The third piece is the adjacent McEachran parcel that was first planted by Colin McEachran in 1878 and then purchased by Schramsberg in 1985. These are the southernmost vineyards in the Diamond Mountain District AVA. Flanked by two cool creek canyons (Nash Creek to the north and Ritchie Creek to the south) and surrounded by dense coniferous and deciduous forests, the vines here produce late-ripening, richly concentrated fruit with average yields of just two tons per acre.
Schramsberg Vineyards is one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley, located in the Calistoga AVA (American Viticultural Area). It was established in 1862 and today, produces predominately sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was Jacob Schram who planted the estate vineyards and initiated the construction of Napa's first hillside caves to store and age wine at Schramsberg. It was throughout the early 20th Century that Schramsberg became famous for its sparkling wines, made in the methode traditionnelle, which have been served at official functions by every US Presidential administration since Richard Nixon in 1972. The inaugural vintage of current proprietors was in 1967, composed of a Blanc de Noirs labeled "Napa Valley Champagne". By the 1980s, Schramsberg had added a vintage-dated Blanc de Blancs and a prestige cuvée, J. Schram, to its portfolio. Nowadays, there is also a rosé, a crémant demi-sec, an extra brut, and several sparkling wines from specific North Coast appellations.
Schramsberg produces its sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Flora sourced from multiple cool-climate vineyard sites in Napa, Sonoma, Anderson Valley, and in Marin County. There is also 17 hectares (41 acres) of vines in the Napa appellation of Diamond Mountain planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, used for the production of still wines under Schramsberg's Davies Vineyards label.In the cellar, Schramsberg has a library of base wines aged up to 10 years in barrel to provide richness in the final blend. The wines spend a minimum of two years aging on the lees at the property's historic underground caves before disgorgement.