Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 56

YEAR'S BEST US CABERNET & BLENDS
nins layering rich earthiness into the flavor.
(W&S 6/17; 2,476 cases)
507303

94 | von Strasser

$135

2014 Diamond Mountain District Napa
Valley Reserve ^ Rudy von Strasser makes his
Reserve when petit verdot ripens as finely
as the cabernet sauvignon in his vineyards.
He includes 40 percent of each; malbec and
merlot complete the blend. That high percentage of petit verdot lends the wine its dark
berry intensity and also may contribute to
the black-mushroom richness of the tannins.
This is a wine with freshness, a factor that
lengthens the flavors and lends stature to its
clean, round fruit. Balanced and approachable as a young wine, this is well suited to
aging. (W&S 10/17; 383 cases)

449897

93 | Bravante

$55

2012 Howell Mountain Napa Valley Trio ^
All about structure and mineral tannins, this
carries a bright note of ripe black-currant
fruit that's substantial enough to completely
fill that structure. Air brings out scents of
nutmeg, tangerine and flowery honey to last
along with the dark fruit and tannins. The
complexity makes a deep impression, continuing to develop as you breathe through
the lingering aromas of the wine. (W&S 8/17;
810 cases)
508416

93 | Buena Vista

$175

2013 Napa Valley Chateau Buena Vista
Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Brian
Malony makes this floral cabernet primarily
from grapes grown in St. Helena. Its heady
purple fruit and chocolate-rich tannins gain
detail with air, developing a rose-petal scent
and a deep soil character, significantly influenced by new oak but finely integrated and
clean. The wine finishes with an openness
that suggests it will age well. (49 cases)
449700

93 | Corison

$90

2014 St. Helena Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ A classical Napa Valley cabernet,
this is bright, from its color straight through
its taut line of cherry flavor. There's an herbal
56

WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2017

aspect, bringing to mind lavender and eucalyptus, spicy, clean and integrated. Firmly
built, this is structured for long development
in the bottle. (W&S 8/17; 2,000 cases)
508884

93 | Davies Vineyards

this west-facing site in ripe blackberry flavor
and monumental yet supple tannins. There's
brightness at the center of the wine that gives
it length and grace; keep it in the cellar for a
decade or more. -L.S. (W&S 8/17; 215 cases)

$110

2014 Diamond Mountain District Napa
Valley J Davies Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Oak
leads in this cabernet, shrouding the fruit in
scents of cocoa and some bitter wood spice.
Slowly, air transforms that spice into notes
of bay leaf and bergamot, while the narrow
structure reveals cool-ripened fruit. This is
gamey and fresh, a wine to decant for slowsmoked beef ribs. (2,825 cases)
508271

93 | Hoopes

$75

2013 Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^ The Hoopes family farms ten acres
in the flood plain of the Napa River, at
Oakville's southern border with Yountville.
Those rich soils delivered a 2013 that's succulent, with the juiciness of fresh raspberries
and the ripeness of cherry jam. It has shape,
even as the tannins are soft and gentle, like
spiced chocolate. This is clean and easy to
love. (1,200 cases)
507855

93 | Inglenook

$210

93 | Raymond

$85

93 | Schug

$60

2013 Rutherford Napa Valley Rubicon ^
The red cherry-scented fruit of this 2013
has the darker purple notes of the vintage.
At the moment of our tasting, the wine was
dominated by the influence of its oak aging
(in French oak barrels, 75 percent new). The
site, a nook tucked into the Mayacamas
hills, is prime Rutherford benchland, offering a wine with intensity of flavor, complete
in its depths of sweet red fruit and supple,
savory tannins. Cellar this to allow the wine
to absorb its oak and reach a more nuanced
expression. (W&S 10/17)
508631
2014 St. Helena Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This wine is
notable for its freshness of fruit, its black
currant flavors awash in tannins, bringing
spicy tobacco notes and stony coolness to the
vibrant fruit. It's approachable and juicy, a
wine to pour with grilled lamb. (467 cases)
449245
2013 Sonoma Valley Heritage Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Winemaker Michael
Cox bases Schug's reserve cabernet on fruit
grown at Rancho Salina, a vineyard planted
on striking bright-red volcanic soil next to
the more famous Monte Rosso. It has the
minty, coniferous streak of fruit grown in the
Sonoma hills while showing the warmth of

449983

93 | Silverado

$50

2013 Napa Valley Estate Grown Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Jon Emmerich blends this wine
from three estate vineyards-Stag's Leap,
Mt. George and Oakville Station. It's a deeply
mineral-inflected wine, with chipped-stone
tannins that are neither pushed nor heavily
extracted, but gracious in their taut structure. The purple fruit may be concentrated,
but it also has a pretty side, hinting at redder
tones and green-olive salinity underneath.
Probably best enjoyed over the next five
years, this is built for roast lamb. (W&S 8/17)

449260

93 | Silverado

$75

2013 Coombsville Napa Valley Geo Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Ron Miller and Diane
Disney Miller purchased part of the Cedar
Knolls vineyard in Coombsville in 1987, a
site first planted in 1868. They renamed the
vineyard Mt. George, after the volcano that
contributed to the deep, gravelly loam soils
on these southern Napa hills. The cabernet
sauvignon they planted there in 1990 grew
a supple 2013, the fruit fresh and savory,
completely saturating the velvet texture of
the tannins. There's earthen power in those
tannins, carrying substantial extract, yet the
wine feels clean and gracious. Lovely now,
this will likely be best ten years from the vintage. (W&S 6/17; 2,200 cases)

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