One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.

The 2009 Proprietary Red Cariad is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot. This full-bodied red reveals slightly more forest floor, menthol, bouquet garni, espresso roast, blackberry and black currant characteristics as well as more tannin than the Tychson Hill. It comes across like an elegant hybrid blend of a rich Bordeaux-styled wine from Napa Valley with a focused, structured, French sensitivity. It should age effortlessly for 20-25 years.

The potentially perfect 2012 Proprietary Red Cariad is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot. It reveals a spectacular bouquet of mint, forest floor, black raspberries, blueberries, licorice and camphor. The stunning aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, sensual, seamlessly constructed wine with amazing fruit and overall balance. The lushness of this vintage is well-displayed in this beautiful blend. It, too, should drink well for 15-20 years.

Something truly noble and profound can be found, once again, in the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Impassable Mountain. This just has richness beyond belief, and a level of complexity and je ne sais quoi character that is hard to articulate. This is extraordinary winemaking, obviously a great, great terroir, and a historic effort from the folks at Hidden Ridge Vineyard (which as been rebranded as Immortal Estate). I don't think the 2014 will ever achieve the perfection of the 2013, but it will sure be fun to compare them over the next 40-50 years, if any of us live that long.

As for the 2014s, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Slope from the Hidden Ridge vineyard does not suffer in comparison with the extraordinary efforts of 2013. Still a barrel sample, its riveting richness, concentration, texture and density represent another legend in the making. Crème de cassis, licorice, blackberry, earthiness and spice are all present in this magnificent example of Cabernet Sauvignon that should age beautifully for 25-30+ years.

Consistently offering its classic opaque purple color, sweet and supple briary red and black fruits, licorice, crushed rock and forest floor. It is deep, circular, unmatched focused intensity. This wine will continue to evolve for the next 10+ years.

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard is a total rock star even at this incredibly youthful stage, strutting the stage with flamboyant freshly crushed red and black currants, black cherries, black raspberries and cassis scents with spectacular lilacs and fragrant earth accents plus sparks of cast iron pan, garrigue and grilled meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with amazing energy, packing wonderfully vibrant black fruits, red berries and mineral flavors into a firm, finely grained frame, finishing very long and beautifully lifted.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology Napa Valley is the appellation blend from the estate, coming from multiple vineyards and brought up in 59% new French oak. It offers a ripe, sexy, incredibly textured style as well as tons of blackcurrants, blackberries, and cassis fruits, full body, tons of sweet fruit, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's rich and powerful yet also incredibly pure and graceful.

Caymus has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe, velvety tannins – as approachable in youth as in maturity. Cabernet grapes are farmed in eight of Napa’s 16 sub-appellations, with diversification enabling Caymus to make the best possible wine in a given year.

Pure and rich, well-centered on melted black licorice, spice, cedar and dark berry flavors. Deep and complex, if short on finesse and grace, ending with musclebound tannins.

The 2016 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has wonderful purity of black fruits—preserved plums, blackcurrants and black raspberries—with nuances of iron ore, crushed rocks, fertile loam, cedar chest and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, concentrated, muscular and built like a brick house, it has very firm, grainy tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing incredibly long and mineral. This should be very, very long lived.

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 8% Cabernet Franc aged in 40% new oak, the 2016 Proprietary Red Wine is deep purple-black in color and quite reticent at this youthful stage to begin, offering up subtle notions of potpourri, Indian spices, cigar box and iron ore over a core of crushed blackberries and black cherries with intermittent wafts of black and red currants, new leather and smoked meats. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a densely packed mid-palate and oodles of freshness framed by very ripe, finely grained tannins and laced with compelling earthy accents. It offers incredible vibrancy with tons of black and red fruit sparkle in the mid-palate leading to a provocative mineral element on the very long finish. If I could give more than 100 for this one, I would.

The deep garnet-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Heir Apparent Rutherford slowly unfurls to reveal notions of tar, scorched earth, dusty soil and iron ore over baked plums, mulberries and cassis with touches of sautéed herbs. Full, firm and richly fruited with ripe, grainy tannins, it finishes long and earthy.

Black currant, graphite and an exceptional depth.
The palate is layered with dark fruit, rustic tannins and a
complex richness. Concentrated without being too heavy,
the wine has profound balance and although it is expressive
in its youth, the 2016 Hossfeld Coliseum Block is a wine that
will show more and more integration as it matures. With an
exceptional depth, this wine is a perfect showcase of this
historic vineyard block.

A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 22 months in 100% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard sports a saturated purple color as well as a seriously rich, powerful nose of blackcurrants, incense, chocolate, dried flowers, and sage brush. This thrilling Cabernet has full-bodied power, terrific purity, no hard edges, and a layered, deep, rich, and serious style.

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Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Proprietary Red opens with fragrant notions of candied violets, chocolate box and baking spices with a core of blackcurrant cordial, preserved plums and blackberry compote with touches of garrigue and menthol. Full-bodied, rich and packed with black fruits sparked by tons of cinnamon and cloves accents, it has a firm, velvety-textured frame and great freshness, finishing with epic persistence.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard has a vibrant deep garnet-purple color and prances out of the glass with vivacious black cherries, wild blueberries and blackcurrants scents plus suggestions of violets, bay leaves, tilled earth and black tea. Medium to full bodied, the palate is tightly knit with firm, grainy tannins and a lively line cutting through the stacked, lively fruit, finishing long with amazing freshness.

Celia Welch once again delivers a densely packed wine with seductive aromas of raspberry jam, blackberry, brambleberry, cocoa, cedar, anise and mint tea.   On entry, the wine is ripe and expansive and continues this way through to the finish.  It is dense and highly concentrated with a finish of fresh, juicy fruit notes.  The tannins are present and approachable.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot, the 2017 M. Étain is deep garnet-purple colored and prances out of the glass with exuberant baked cherries, warm mulberries, plum pudding and crème de cassis notes with touches of Provence herbs, tilled soil and pencil lead plus wafts of spice box and potpourri. Full-bodied, firm and earthy in the mouth, the palate has bags of freshness and a firm structure with loads of spicy nuances on the finish.

A dense, darkly fruited Cabernet Sauvignon that proves nearly impenetrable by light. Predominantly grown in the eastern hillsides of Napa Valley that rise above Rutherford, no sip of this wine comes up short on swagger. The wine’s brawny structure effortlessly carries the massive, saturated palate of deep, black fruits and pine-forest accents, barely revealing itself while travelling across the palate. Provide this wine a healthy decant in its youth, before diving into its endlessly deep waters.

Deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon gives up notes of baked plums, black currant pastilles and dried blueberries with hints of fried herbs, cigar box and fruitcake. Full-bodied, the palate is just slightly hollow with chewy tannins and oodles of freshness pleasantly lifting the berry preserves flavors on the finish.

Sporting a deep purple hue as well as full-bodied aromas and flavors of cassis, violets, and tobacco, it’s a step up over the 2017 and has sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a terrific sense of opulence as well as freshness.

The wine shows an intensely dark ruby color with aromas of red plum, black cherry and currant gracing the nose. On the palate, firm structure and natural tannin provide a gripping intense mouth-feel falling of into a long supple finish. This wine will continue to get better and better as the years go by and will age beautifully for up to 30+ years. 

Intriguing nose with black and red fruit, chocolate-covered cherries, and black olives. It is a classic representation of Oakville cabernet, with subtle tannins and a mineral finish.

Pure crème de cassis, white flowers, crushed violets, and graphite notes all emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, which comes from a large valley floor vineyard in Rutherford. It’s a more structured, full-bodied, beautifully layered 2018 that has building tannins as well as remarkable purity.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate saunters out of the glass with a seriously sexy nose of crushed blackberries, wild blueberries, kirsch and black cherries with touches of fragrant soil, cassis, tobacco leaf, candied violets and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, the palate positively quivers with an electric intensity of tightly wound black and red berry layers, framed by very firm, fine-grained tannins and delivering bags of freshness and perfume on the very long finish.

Monastery Block is deep garnet-purple and has a nose of warm blackberries, preserved plums and mulberries with an earthy/savory undercurrent of smoked mates, chargrill, roasted nuts and sautéed herbs. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and concentrated, with nice ripe, grainy tannins and great concentration, finishing long and earthy.