2008 Vecina Cabernet Sauvignon

Saturated medium ruby. Cool perfume of blackberry, licorice, spices and black pepper. Suave and fine-grained but still quite tight, showing little in the way of easy sweetness but also avoiding the greenness that plagues some 2008s. Although youthfully imploded, savory and dry, this powerfully tannic, mineral-driven wine spreads out on the back end to coat the palate.

Black cherry, lavender, crushed rocks, smoke and game are some of the signatures in the 2008 Vecina. Dark and brooding, the 2008 possesses remarkable freshness and minerality that gives the wine its sense of energy. Despite its many virtues, the 2008 still needs time to be at its best. (AG) 97+

Saturated medium ruby. Cool perfume of blackberry, licorice, spices and black pepper. Suave and fine-grained but still quite tight, showing little in the way of easy sweetness but also avoiding the greenness that plagues some 2008. Although youthfully imploded, savory and dry, this powerfully tannic, mineral-driven wine spreads out on the back end to coat the palate. These younger Vecina vintages are really amazingly unevolved.