1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos

The weather in the 1996 growing season got started, after an unusually warm winter, with plenty of rain. The combination led to early budbreak. However, spring remained cool with the rain that was scattered throughout, including during bloom, leading to lower yields. Heat during summer sped ripening in the early stages. By September, though, temperatures cooled allowing a slower pace and acid retention before harvest. Generally, clusters and crops were both smaller with lower yields throughout Napa Valley. Deep ruby colour with transparency through the centre, and only the faintest hints of brick accent from ageing. Star bright in the glass. Pleasing tertiary character on the nose with notes of forest floor, wet tobacco and just a hint of cigar spice. The palate is vibrant and stimulating with bright acidity that tightens the jaw slightly and carries the wine through a long finish. Delicious age on this wine that still has plenty of life left in the bottle. Notes of both red- and blackcurrant, dried roses – flower and leaf – well-integrated cigar box, and a bit of mushroom umami for a delicious close. Just a sprinkle of cracked pepper. Impressively long finish. On the lighter-bodied side for Cabernet Sauvignon, offering an open weave to the palate presentation with fine-boned tannin but there is ample flavour presence and persistence. The wine offers confidence without the need to show off through excess. A lovely tribute to the historical styles of the region’s Cabernet that first brought attention to the Napa Valley. (ECB)