Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon (1984)

About this wine

This estate bottled 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sequoia Grove comes from the Rutherford area of Napa Valley, a site the producer highlights for its gravelly loam soils and warm days with cool nights. On the nose there are dark berry and cassis aromas that have begun to develop savory tertiary notes of leather and tobacco. The palate shows evolved fruit, raspberry and black currant, with warm baking spice and clove accents reported in tasting records. Texture is rounded and silky with moderate, integrated tannins and balanced acidity for the vintage. Notable facts include that Sequoia Grove was founded in 1979 on an estate in Rutherford and that their Napa Valley Cabernets have historically seen oak aging during their cellar program, contributing to the spice and toasty notes found in older bottles.

About the grape

Cabernet Sauvignon originated in Bordeaux where it became prized for its thick skins, firm tannins, and ability to carry structure in blends, traits that made it the varietal of choice for Napa plantings in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Rutherford and at Sequoia Grove Estate the variety is grown on gravelly loam soils and warm daytime with cooling night conditions that slow ripening, helping the grapes develop balanced phenolic ripeness while retaining acidity. Sequoia Grove established its estate plantings after the property was purchased in 1978 and has focused Cabernet on specific vineyard blocks, matching clonal selections and rootstock to soil types and practicing sustainable, Napa Green certified farming and vertical shoot positioning training to manage vigor and sun exposure. For the 1984 Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon this farm to bottle approach meant the wine was drawn from those Rutherford estate blocks where Cabernet has been the dominant and signature variety for the property.

Quick facts

• 🌱 This 1984 bottle comes from one of Sequoia Grove’s earliest releases, made just a few years after the winery’s 1979 founding so it reflects the very young identity of the estate.
• 🏷️ Labeled Estate Bottled, the 1984 Cabernet legally guarantees the grapes were grown on the winery’s own Rutherford estate, which collectors prize as a marker of provenance.
• 🌲 Sequoia Grove’s name and estate are anchored by an actual ring of coast redwood trees beside the tasting room, so your 1984 bottle literally hails from a property famous for its sequoias and a planted ‘fairy ring.’
• 📈 The 1984 vintage in Napa was unusually warm and ripe, and wines from Rutherford—like this Sequoia Grove Cabernet—helped put the Rutherford bench on the map for big, ageworthy Cabs in the 1980s.
• ⚡ The winery’s rustic tasting barn dates to 1908 and is full of lore; later anecdotes (like a lightning-struck sequoia crashing through the roof in 2003) add to the colorful backstory behind early bottles such as the 1984 Cabernet.

Palate profile

Producer

Sequoia Grove Winery, established in 1979 by James and Barbara Allen, is situated in Rutherford, Napa Valley, California. The winery is renowned for its commitment to crafting elegant, balanced wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region. Notably, the winery's tasting room is housed in a restored 100-year-old barn, nestled beneath a grove of majestic Sequoia trees planted in 1908, which inspired the winery's name. In 2002, the Kopf family acquired Sequoia Grove, continuing its legacy and further investing in vineyard expansion and sustainable practices.