Review by Robert Parker
Rating: (90)
The 2006 Rive Droite reveals elegant, attractive, plum, black cherry, coffee, and wood spice notes offered in a lush, full-bodied style meant to be drunk over the next 7-8 years. This sensational estate is situated on the hillside behind Dominus’ large Napanook Vineyard. Created by Claude and Katherine Blankiet in the midnineties, I have liked these wines since their debut vintage. They now have 16 acres under vine, and the winemaking is overseen by super-star viticulturists David Abreu and Martha McClellan-Levy as well as consultant Michel Rolland. Their secondary label, called Rive Droite, uses a large portion of their Merlot crop, and the flagship offering, the Paradise Hills Vineyard Proprietary Red is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. Â
