Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 93 points

The 2013 Gandona Vineyards Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, is a lighter style of wine and their biggest cuvée (just under 750 cases). This wine is on a fast evolutionary track, with complex notes of cedar wood, licorice, blackcurrants and tobacco leaf, all from a medium-bodied wine with light tannin, luscious fruit and a delicious, supple mouthfeel. Drink it over the next decade.

Review date: October 2015

Wine Spectator: 90 points

Comes out of the gate chewy and loamy, yet gains balance, with licorice-shaded dark berry and cedary cigar box flavors. The oak and tannins hold and grip, drying on the aftertaste. Best from 2017 through 2024. 640 cases made.

Review date: July 2016

Vinous: 90 points

The 2013 Encosta is plump, juicy and exuberant. Inky blue and purplish fruit, sweet spices, new leather and French oak jump out of the glass. Racy, powerful and unapologetically opulent, the 2013 offers plenty of character. Readers who enjoy full-throttle, intense Napa Valley Cabernets will find much to enjoy in the 2013, a wine that also delivers solid value within Napa Valley standards.

Review date: October 2015