2003 Robert Foley Claret - 96 pts - 750ml

Robert Foley Wines is a wine producer located on Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley. Proprietor Robert Foley is a renowned winemaker—one of a select few that has been making wine in the region since the 1970s. Foley released wine under his own label in 1998—the flagship Claret, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The winery is best known for production of concentrated red wines from the Napa Valley.

Robert Foley Wines owns an estate vineyard on Howell Mountain planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Foley sources grapes from a number of growers in the Napa Valley, focusing on fruit from hillside locations with well-draining soils. The wine portfolio is largely made up of big, rich reds and some less common varietal wines from the area including Petite Sirah and Charbono—the estate is the largest producer of the variety in the world.

An extensive cave system was built at Foley's winemaking facilities in 2008 and houses more than 1500 barrels for wine aging. The estate's top wine, Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, is made from single vineyard estate-grown fruit at an elevation of 2000 feet (610m), producing only enough fruit for a production of around 100 cases annually. In total, Robert Foley Wines produces around 8000 cases a year.