Wine & Spirits - December 2019 - 49

YEAR'S BEST US CABERNETS & BLENDS
517947
time to move past some Porty notes and dry
tannins, settling into its structure and gaining freshness with several days of air. The tannins turn finer and the dark fruit gains precedence, incorporating the wine's warmth into
juicy richness. Cellar it. (W&S 10/19) -J.G.
514896

91 | Textbook

$79

2016 Oakville Mise en Place Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This cabernet, from a rocky site on
the east side of the valley, includes merlot
from the western benchlands. The wine is
fresh up front, with floral scents of currants
and blueberries, then a little rough around
the edges as the substantial, youthful tannins
take hold. Oak impacts the finish, but there's
a lot of flavor density that should lengthen
with bottle age. (W&S 2/19; 800 cases) -J.G.

RUTHERFORD
518613

94 | Flora Springs

$150

2017 Rutherford Napa Valley Hillside
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ^ It's fascinating how the extreme conditions that led up
to the late-season fires of 2017 could also
lead to some extraordinary cabernet. This
one comes from a vineyard Flora and Jerry
Komes purchased in 1976 at the end of West
Zinfandel Lane, on a hillside rising up from
the northwestern corner of Rutherford.
There are underground springs at the edge
of the vineyard, and when the Komes's children renovated the ghost winery on the property, they named it after their mother and
those springs. Block J, the source of this wine,
produced lovely juice in 2017, the benchland
site coming through in the refinement and
elegance of the wine's structure. You might
find sweet cherry scents and fresh, wild blackberry flavors, but the silken concentration of
the tannins is what ups the ante on the wine's
textural pleasure. (410 cases) -J.G.
514712

93 | Balius

93 | Inglenook

$210

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Rubicon
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ When Philippe Bascaules arrived at Inglenook in 2011, the
estate's Cask Cabernet was defined by its redfruit character while Rubicon was defined
by black fruit. He preferred to focus on the
wine's texture. Now commuting between
Rutherford and Château Margaux, where he
had worked for two decades with Paul Pontallier, he has changed the viticultural practice
at Inglenook. In 2016, Rubicon is neither red
nor black-in fact, it's more blueberry in flavor. But what sets it apart is the plump, polished, mineral texture. As a young wine, it's
shy, gentle, finely structured cabernet, with
no rough edges. There's a sense of certainty,
however, that such a wine, from a team
secure enough to present it without youthful
fanfare, will evolve to express the detail and
complexity of this vineyard, its track record
proven for more than a century. It's a different way to think about Napa Valley cabernet.
(W&S 10/19; 3,847 cases) -J.G.
518260

93 | Provenance

92 | Freemark Abbey

$70

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ This tight, cassis-driven cabernet
is fresh and inviting. The fruit is aromatic and
clean, with highlights of cranberries, roots
and green herbs. The tannins are integrated
and gentle, ready to take on an herb-braised
lamb shank. (2,060 cases) -J.G.
515464

92 | Domaine Rutz

$150

2016 Rutherford Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ From one of Rutherford's
classic benchland sites, this cabernet benefits
from long exposure to air. It starts off hightoned and volatile, edged by hyperripe fruit.
The tannins gain spiciness and structural
firmness a day later, and a day after that, the
fruit feels pretty and rich, completely filling
out the spicy bite of those tannins. Built to
cellar. (W&S 4/19; 1,200 cases) -J.G.

$60

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ This wine has a tight structure
that consolidates all its luscious cherry-plum
flavor and holds it in abeyance. It feels sleek
and spicy, and yet it also feels like there's a
lot of flavor to develop with bottle age. Trevor
Durling makes this wine primarily from two
vineyards, Provenance's Wildwood Estate
and Beckstoffer Georges III, both in eastern
Rutherford. -J.G.

518394

91 | Clos de Napa

$50

2017 Rutherford Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Sweet plum and cherry flavors fill the
middle of this wine, captured by dry, dusty,
assertive oak tannins in the end. The floral
aspects of the fruit hold on in the presence
of the oak, giving a clean, rosy impression to
balance the finish. For smoked duck breast.
(2,500 cases) -J.G.

$35

2014 Rutherford Reserve Block Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ Trevor Sheehan
started Balius in 2010, working with Beckstoffer fruit in Rutherford. The grapes for his
2014 come from the Pestoni Vineyard, just
east of Highway 29. With its crunchy, tart
red fruit, this wine gives an impression of
delicacy and finesse before launching into a
saturated mouthful of savory tannins. It has
Rutherford's grandeur, a texture that's complete and complex, the tannins seamlessly
integrated into the wine's dusty refinement.
There's nothing aggressive about it, including the price, which looks like a typo, and
warrants purchasing this wine by the case.
(W&S 2/19; 1,900 cases) -J.G.

518631

93 | Taub

$65

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Tom Hinde, who once ran Flowers Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast, is now
developing this brand for the Taub family,
long-established as wine importers in New
York. With its clean notes of dark cherries
and hints of cherry blossoms, this wine feels
fresh, airy and gentle. The supple tannins
add richness, in the mode of freshly turned
earth, turning a hint of sweetness in the fruit
toward a savory finish. (575 cases) -J.G.
518308

518553

91 | Foley Johnson

$40

2016 Rutherford Napa Valley Meritage
(Best Buy) ^ Patrick Foley blended this wine
with a focus on cabernet sauvignon and
merlot (42 percent each, along with a little
petit verdot and cabernet franc). It shows
the floral and herbal side of the grapes, even
as it feels round and sleek, with a satisfying
texture. The wine gains saturation with air,
WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2019

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Wine & Spirits - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2019