Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 59

YEAR'S BEST US CABERNET & BLENDS
gnon (40 percent) and petit verdot (30 percent), with some merlot and cabernet franc,
all from an estate vineyard planted in 2002.
The fruit is superripe, a little dimpled by the
sun, but it sustains cool Pacific freshness,
even at a stated 15.4 percent alcohol. The
result is sweet, bright and spicy, with notes
of sage and beach rose. It's a sunny red for
grilled fennel sausages, especially if you're
grilling on the beach. (809 cases)

tere wine, with the stuffing and structure to
develop and mature well. (500 cases)
508801

91 | Arbor Bench

$48

91 | Calluna

$75

2013 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Voluptuous flavors of sweet black cherries are kept cool and fresh by a foresty character, hinting at cherry bark and evergreens.
The spiciness in the tannins will meld into
slow-smoked meats.
508321
2014 Chalk Hill Estate ^ David Jeffrey
planted 12 acres of vines on a plateau in 2005
and now blends five Bordeaux varieties into
this wine. As is typical of his style, this 2014
is all lean muscle with very little fat. Even
so, it feels rich and cushioned, its coolness
and firmness ending with some paprika-like
spice. This is built to age. (1,095 cases)
508319

91 | Calluna

$33

2014 Chalk Hill Calluna Vineyards Cuvée
(Best Buy) ^ Tart black-currant flavors lend
this wine a high-toned savor, its structure as
light as it is firm and austere. The fruit is delicate and pretty, framed by mineral tannins
that keep it completely dry. Crisply tailored,
this should age with grace. (1,398 cases)
447341

91 | Conn Creek

$90

2013 Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Sori
Bricco Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Sori
Bricco rises on Diamond Mountain directly
west of the town of Calistoga. Mike McGrath
sources this wine from a south-facing block
at an elevation of 890 feet, where the fruit
maintains the foresty cool of the site while
developing powerful mineral intensity in its
tannins. This is dense and youthful, both
tough in its structure and generous in the
way it fills out that structure with juicy richness. It's built to age for a decade or more.
(W&S 2/17; 201 cases)
508832

91 | Corison

$175

2014 St. Helena Napa Valley Sunbasket
Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Basking
in full-on richness, this tastes like the juice
of ripe fresh cherries, a pretty cabernet with
some austere wood tannins, and plenty of
sweet fruit to fill them. That fruit darkens as
the wine evolves, bringing scents of candied
blueberries and blackberries. This needs time
for the tannins and fruit to meld; the texture
is already gracious. (W&S 10/17; 300 cases)

507740

91 | Duckhorn

$75

2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^
One taster described this as "yummy" in its
chocolate-mousse tannins; another found
it youthfully closed. That dichotomy runs
through the wine, a contrast of rich, round
textural pleasure and more seriously firm,
mineral cool. There's spicy red fruit at its
core, adding to the youthful tension. Decant
it for something as rich as braised oxtail, or
let it develop in the bottle. (W&S 10/17)
508960

91 | Geyser Peak

$30

2013 Alexander Valley Walking Tree Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ The middle of
this wine is big and warm, with chocolate
gentleness to its tannins. The frame is firm,
wrapping that supple core into an elegant,
clean and dynamic wine that's remarkably
easy to drink. Pour it with thick-cut lamb
chops. (2,100 cases)

508889

91 | Materra

$50

91 | Murphy-Goode

$24

2013 Oak Knoll District Napa Valley Right
Bank ^ This wine's warmth drives scents of bay
laurel and herbs. The fruit is savory as well,
with smoky intensity and saline mineral tannins that last. It has a kind of old-fashioned
charm, with enough textural richness to
make it feel grand. (500 cases)
448345
2013 Alexander Valley All In Claret (Best
Buy) ^ Based on cabernet from the Terra A
Lago vineyard in the Mayacamas foothills
and merlot from the Geyserville bench, this
is a chewy yet sophisticated red, carrying
a black earthen flavor in its tannins, even
as they're smoothed by oak. It feels properly ripe, its sails full of red fruit, hinting at
higher-toned floral aromas and a woodsy
savor that speaks to hillside fruit. -L.S.
(W&S 6/17; 1,017 cases)
508376

508395

91 | Grgich Hills

$72

2014 Napa Valley Estate Grown Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Most of this wine comes from
Yountville, with contributions from Rutherford and Calistoga as well. The freshness of
Yountville is there in the front of the wine,
fragrant, herbal and refined. Then there's full
ripeness that brings depth to the flavors and
juicy tannins to the finish. Distinctly meaty,
with an iron-like warmth, this should gain
complexity with several years of bottle age.
508790

91 | Grassini

$45

2014 Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Articondo ^ This is mostly cabernet sauvi-

91 | Raymond

$105

91 | Raymond

$105

2014 Howell Mountain Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This
wine's forest tones of cedar and eucalyptus
have a sunny warmth. The tannins are hard
and a little bitter, restraining the fruit until
air brings it forward with violet-scented richness. Firm and tightly structured, this needs
years in the cellar to evolve. (225 cases)
508632
2014 Oakville Napa Valley District Collection Cabernet Sauvignon ^ There's a lot
of blackberry richness to this wine, the fruit
warm and fully extracted, the alcohol building on the spicy finish. Its smoky plum and
WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2017

https://www.decoywines.com/product/2015-decoy-sonoma-county-cabernet-sauvignon?pageID=244AA0F1-DA51-E4D5-8B44-D6C525424DBB&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=36& http://www.materrawines.com/ https://shop.grgich.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=BOT&PART=CSNV14

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