2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate
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Tasting notes
Black fruit, plums, cassis, grilled herbs, smoke, French oak, leather and licorice meld together in the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate. A dark, voluptuous beauty, the 2012 is fleshy, radiant and intense to the core. A supple, beautifully resonant finish rounds out this stylish Cabernet Sauvignon from Vineyard 29. (AG)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate (850 cases), is sensational and about as profound as Napa Cabernet can be. A wine of great intensity, inky purple color, notes of penny, graphite, blackberry and cassis, with a background of wet rock-minerality. The wine is dense, full-bodied, powerful and capable of lasting another 20-25 years.
(includes 3% each petit verdot and cabernet franc; mostly cabernet clone 337, with some clone 4): Bright red-ruby. Ripe aromas of cassis, black raspberry, licorice, dark chocolate and minerals, complicated by gunpowder and wild herbs. In a distinctly Medoc style, showing mineral-driven flavors of dark berries and scorched earth. This makes the 2011 seem dry by comparison. Finishes with serious dusty tannins and the structure to age.
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate has developed positively since I last tasted it. Aida is a warmer site than the Estate. That may be one of the reasons why the new oak feels much more in balance here. Inky dark fruit, leather, cloves, incense and espresso build into the deeply resonant finish. The 2012 is a fine choice for readers who enjoy full-throttle, opulent Napa Valley Cabernets.