Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 55

formal in its power, without any excesses
in extract or alcohol. Keenan describes it
as 'professional' power, like the powerful
swings of a pro golfer that look breathtakingly easy. The tannins are in alignment from
the moment it's first poured, their firm coffee and cocoa notes hiding some of the fruit
expression. A day later, the darker tones of
mushrooms and tree bark have opened and
lightened to scents of sage and madrone, a
fragrance that embeds the Spring Mountain
forest in the saturation of the fruit. Bold and
supple, this is structured for long aging, but
its beauty is accessible now with enough time
in a decanter. (W&S 6/17; 500 cases)
508633

94 | Raymond

$95

94 | Raymond

$95

2014 Rutherford Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Jean-Charles
Boisset is determined to make Raymond a
player in contemporary Napa Valley wine,
dedicating his team to biodynamic farming and bringing a Folies-Bergère-meetsDalí style to the winery's tasting rooms.
Boisset purchased Raymond in 2009 and
hired Stephanie Putnam, late of Far Niente,
as winemaker the following year. She now
produces a range of 100 percent cabernet
sauvignon "District" wines like this latest
Rutherford release, a blend from the original Raymond estate on Zinfandel Lane and
fruit from a vineyard in the western benchlands, allowed a long fermentation without
added yeast. This vintage feels cool and elegant, shot through with brightness, as if the
wine's freshness were backlighting its red
fruit purity. The wine isn't heavy or grippy,
but it completely fills its structure with luscious fruit, scents of roast mushrooms and
dusty tannins that give it stature and staying
power. (738 cases)
508372
2014 Spring Mountain Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This
is a voluptuous, sexy cabernet from a mountain appellation better known for powerful,
often austere wines. It comes from a site at
the top of Spring Mountain, where the vines
face southwest. The supple tannins meld
fruity dark chocolate with raspberry and
cherry-skin flavor. What ties the wine to
Spring Mountain is the detail in the tannins,
the earthy spice that lasts. (203 cases)
508374

94 | Raymond

$105

2014 Stags Leap District Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Like
the other District Collection wines, this SLD
is 100 percent cabernet sauvignon; it comes
from a site on the east side of the Silverado

Trail, just south of Stags' Leap Winery. With
its cool black-cherry freshness and tannins
that taste of dark chocolate and espresso,
it's an elegant and sophisticated SLD cabernet. What oak influence is apparent in the
flavors when the wine is first poured yields
completely to the fruit with air; that fruit
lasts with mouthwatering briskness, fat and
juicy. Decant this for a delicious match with
seared duck breast. (229 cases)
446848

94 | Ridge

$185

2013 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello ^
Monte Bello's aging regimen-16 months in
new American oak-is apparent in the 2013's
pungent aroma of dill. At first, the fruit feels
muted by the oak, but there's a fineness to the
tannins that gives the impression of a very
serious cabernet terroir (in this case, a cool
mountain ridge rising to 2,600 feet, where a
wealth of mature vines dating to the 1970s
and 1980s are rooted in limestone-rich substrata). With air, the fruit picks up vigor, that
dill character merging with flavors of maitake mushroom and pine. Like most vintages
of Monte Bello, its mountain-grown fruit is
more about umami than red or purple berry
flavors. And if some vintages of Monte Bello
can feel almost racy, this one is supple and
gentle, yet not at all heavy-an aristocratic
cabernet that is standoffish right now, girded
by new wood. This will reward the patient;
keep it for ten years or more before uncorking it at a holiday celebration with roast beef.
-L.S. (W&S 6/17; 5,000 cases)

449261

94 | Silverado

$125

2013 Stags Leap District Napa Valley Solo
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ The Millers purchased
their Silverado Vineyard in 1978; originally
planted in 1884, it was one of the first vineyards in what would become the Stags Leap
District. Cabernet grows to luxurious textures
and gentle tannins in these gravelly loam and
clay soils, particularly in 2013, the vintage
that produced this powerful and gracious
wine. As panelist Luke Sykora pointed out,
"It's a luxury wine that's delicious rather than
aggressive-it's smooth, sweet and inviting."
As ripe as it is, the fruit feels healthy, the tan-

Producing Estate-grown
wines that offer the true
expression of Howell
Mountain fruit- elegant,
unique, grown and bottled
"Above the Fog"
www.bravantevineyards.com
707.965.2552

http://www.bravantevineyards.com https://retail.silveradovineyards.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=productdetail&product_id=2619

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2017