This is a 40-acre vineyard at the base of Mt. St. Helena, northeast of Calistoga. Very steeply terraced, it was planted in 1990 and 1993. The soil is a shallow clay-loam atop white volcanic ash, which provides excellent drainage and limits yields to between 1.4 and 2.7 tons per acre. This is our final vintage from this vineyard, having made all the wine from it since 1998—the first three vintages for Rudd. Encouraged by our success with their grapes, the owners have built a winery and jumped into the wine business feet first, and we wish them luck. At some 1250 cases, this is our smallest blend yet, a function of the decline of the Cabernet Franc and Merlot portions of the vineyard to leaf roll virus. That is also the reason that the blend became, in 2004, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which it remains for 2005 at 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot.

Highlighted Reviews: 2005 Vintage

95     Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate December 2007, Issue 174
The final vintage for this cuvee, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon offers a Graves-like personality of scorched earth, chocolate, charcoal, and black currants as well as a sumptuous, full-bodied palate, and a layered, multi-dimensional finish. Drink this remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon over the next two decades.

94-96 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 07
Saturated violet. Flamboyantly aromatic aromas of powerful blueberry and boysenberry fruit accented by cola and floral pastille. Deep, sweet and expansive, with liqueur-like dark berry flavors, a bitter suggestion of cherry pit and silky tannins for support. This became fresher with air, taking a raspberry turn and picking up mineral accents. Finishes energetic and spicy, with an expansive red berry tone and remarkable length.

Highlighted Reviews: 2004 Vintage

94     Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-22-06
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon Vineyard has an inky dark ruby/purple color, a wonderfully sweet nose of espresso roast, fudge, blackberry, and cassis with a hint of incense and smoke. The wine is full-bodied, broadly flavored, opulent, and voluptuous, and that in itself seems to give the wine its current appeal, although I think this is a candidate for at least two decades of cellaring.

93 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 07
Inky purple. Graphite- and tobacco-accented cherry and cassis aromas reminded me of top-end Saint-Julien. Focused, pure red- and blackcurrant flavors are energized by impressive mineral lift. This remarkably concentrated cabernet finishes with firm but harmonious tannins and explosive sweetness.

Highlighted Reviews: 2003 Vintage

94 (two puffs)    Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, Dec. 2005, p. 25
10% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc. The powerful and seemingly bottomless fruit of this opulent young Cabernet is the stuff of show-stopping success, and the rich oak and complex touches of herbs and earth that are laced through it make a very good thing that much better. A real powerhouse in terms of stuffing and size, the wine successfully balances a scant bit of finishing heat against exceptional extract, and never once does its give in to simple-minded ripeness. There are tannins enough to keep it in fine shape for years to come, and it wants lengthy cellaring to be at its best, but its sense of plushness and its immediate fruit will be tempting even now.

93    Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate 12-26-05, Issue 162
The 2003 Jericho Canyon from a 40-acre parcel of vines at the base of Mount St. Helena, is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. This is David Ramey’s homage to Pauillac. With a big sweet nose of white chocolate, crème de cassis, cedar, spice box, and high-quality smoky oak, it is full-bodied, rich, and tannic with notes of chocolate and espresso in the mouth. This wine also needs several years of cellaring and should last 15-20 years.

94  Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
Good full medium ruby. Highly nuanced and wonderfully expressive nose combines blue and black fruits and smoky oak. Fat, dense and smooth in the mouth, with superripe but fresh flavors of cassis, dark chocolate, smoke and cigar box. Finishes with big, rich, mellow tannins and lingering notes of coffee and chocolate. A very satisfying 2003 with considerable early appeal but also very good aging potential.

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Photos from the vineyard
Marla & Dale Bleecher Vineyard Owners		View looking west from Jericho Canyon Hillside