2015 Anderson's Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve

Powerful and sumptuous, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve shows the natural richness and intensity of the year in its super-ripe fruit. The huge, potent tannins need time to settle down, that much is clear. Readers should expect a sumptuous, super-ripe style. This is the first vintage in which the Estate Reserve benefits from the presence of an entry-level Napa Valley Cabernet bottling. Today, the 2015 is a bit compact. It should blossom nicely with more time in the cellar.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve is a smokin' good blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Its deep purple/plum color is followed by a terrific perfume of blackcurrants, nori (seaweed wrapper), dark chocolate and licorice, and it develops more minerality with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated and structured, it has sweet tannin, a great mid-palate, and a big finish. It's still youthful and backward, and needs 3-4 years to show at its best, but will keep for two decades.

Made up of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve has an earthy nose with spicy red and black fruit preserves and some dusty earth and bark suggestions. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it's firm and chewy in the mouth with lovely flavor layers and a long, spicy finish.