2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is marginally better than the Correlation, but only marginally. Here, too, there is plenty of jammy dark fruit, torrefaction, mocha, spice and new French oak. Even within this style, there is just very little in the way of personality or character in what is ultimately a pretty anonymous Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is another dark, bombastic wine. Black fruit, smoke, tobacco, leather and incense all meld together in the glass. The style is dark, powerful and voluptuous. Most producers have their 2012s in bottle, but proprietor Wesley Steffens and winemaker Martha McClellan want to give their wines more time in barrel. I am curious to see what extended barrel aging adds.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which I tasted from barrel, is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Rich, layered and intense, the 2012 bursts from the glass with massive fruit and fabulous overall balance. The mountain tannins are there, but they are nearly buried by deep, rich, resonant layers of fruit. Mocha, plums, menthol and spices meld together on the explosive finish. This is going to be a thrilling wine to follow.