2011 Bevan Red Wine Tench Vineyard EE
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Tasting notes
The 2011 Red Wine EE is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Tench vineyard in Oakville and 35% Cabernet Franc from a site very near their former Showket vineyard source, also in Oakville. Deep garnet colored, the nose opens with notes of smoked meats, black olives and bouquet garni over a core of prunes, blackcurrant jelly, fragrant earth and sandalwood. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers bright, slowly evolving black fruit layers with lots of earthy/minerally sparks and a velvety texture, finishing long with a minty kick. 225 cases were made.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Red Wine EE (Cabernet Sauvignon) is incredibly tight today. Mocha, plum, smoke, black cherry and spice notes emerge over time, but only with great reluctance. Today the EE remains a bit compact. Still there is plenty to look forward to, especially once the wine has had a few more months to come together more fully in bottle. With time in the glass, the wine turns nicely supple and inviting.
The 2011 EE, which also comes from the Tench and Tin Box vineyards, is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc. It exhibits lots of graphite, charcoal embers, a Pessac-Leognan-like smoky barbecue character, black currant liqueur, licorice and a touch of chocolate. Huge, massive, rich fruit oozes across the palate, but there is a refinement and delicacy to it that is almost impossible to believe in view of this wine’s size. Apparently, this cuvee comes from the rich, red soils on the hillsides of Oakville below the well-known Showket Vineyard. This spectacular 2011 should drink well for 10-15 years. I continue to be blown away by the wines from Russell Bevan and his partner, Victoria de Cresenzo. (I’ll save my reviews of the Bevan Cellars wines from Sonoma appellations for the December issue when I will be writing an extensive report on that viticultural area.) These are by no means shy wines, but their richness and complexity are remarkable. Despite their massive size, concentration and density, they reveal tremendous polish, finesse and elegance. I tasted five barrel samples of 2012s, and all of them were almost beyond belief in their richness, bombastic fruit and remarkable intensity and purity combined with amazing polish and delineation. Two cuvees that have the potential to merit perfect scores include the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Harbison Vineyard (300 cases produced) from Oakville and the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 6110 (225 cases) from Stags Leap. Tel. (707) 542-0123