2012 Continuum Proprietary Red
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Tasting notes
The first vintage to be made from 100% estate fruit. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Opening with fresher fruit character on the nose, followed by notes of cassis with a background of dark chocolate on the palate. The wine feels a bit broader, richer, with more fruit compared with the 2010 and 2011 cooler-vintage expressions, but there is still an elegance to the 2012 vintage and a lot of mouth-watering presence. The wine is generally more lifted and prettier than the very savoury 2013, the powerhouse 2009 and the beautiful 2010. It also has perhaps a little less complexity, but it is a delicious, friendly and approachable wine that is in a good spot to drink now. It is well balanced, with very fine-grained, silken tannin, just enough grip and a very long mouth-watering finish. (ECB)
Critic scores
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James Suckling
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
This is the first year that this wine was made from 100% estate-grown fruit from Continuum’s Sage Mountain vineyard. A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2012 Proprietary Red has a deep garnet-purple color and gorgeous crème de cassis, exotic spices, fragrant earth and Christmas pudding notions with touches of chocolate box and licorice. The palate is full-bodied and deliciously concentrated, with a firm, grainy-textured backbone supporting the impressive mid-palate density, finishing very long and harmonious.
A juicy, flamboyant wine, the 2012 Continuum captures the personality of the year from the very first taste. Here the flavors are bold and racy to the core, with pungent dark red fruit and spice dominating. The new French oak (75%) is a bit pronounced today. Otherwise, this is a fine showing. The 2012 needs a bit more time to shed some baby fat, but it will offer its finest drinking earlier than most other vintages.
Ripe, silky tannins wrap around the palate in the 2012 Continuum. Bright red cherry, plum, spice, menthol and hard candy meld together effortlessly in the glass. The 2012 captures the polished, refined side of the vintage. This is perhaps the most refined wine I have ever tasted from Continuum. The flavors are bright and focused, while the new oak has been decidedly toned down, both of which allow the personality of these breathtaking hillsides sites to shine. The 2012 is the first Continuum to be made entirely with estate grown fruit.
About the producer
Created by Tim and Marcia Mondavi, Continuum is a Napa project that continues the Mondavi family legacy. Based in Pritchard Hill, this estate winery produces elegant, mineral Cabernet blends from hillside fruit.