2012 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

(the first vintage for this wine, which is from Phinny Hill and Bacchus; Harrington did an extended maceration on the Phinny Hill fruit--38 days post-fermentation on its skins--and the wine went through its malolactic fermentation in tank): Good healthy dark red-ruby. Lovely violet lift to the aromas of cassis, violet, menthol, minerals and licorice. Juicy, spicy and intense; conveys a lovely pliant texture but with serious energy and precision to its dark berry, bitter chocolate and pepper flavors. Consistent from start to finish, boasting noteworthy depth of flavor and firm underlying structure without austerity; the extended fermentation seems to have mellowed out the wine but it still shows more inner-mouth tension than the regular 2012 Cabernet. Finishes subtle and very long, with a serious spine of tannins and enticing floral lift.

Fragrant, black pepper, concentrated but eminently drinkable. Pert tannins and glossy fruit. (RH)

Even better than their other Cab Sav is the tiny production 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Made from 100% Cabernet that spent 23 months in 53% new French oak, this blockbuster effort offers stunning elegance and purity in its cassis and assorted black fruits, lead pencil shavings, toasted spice, tobacco leaf and graphite-driven bouquet. This flows to a full-bodied, Cabernet that’s impeccably balanced, has a full, layered mid-palate, building tannin and a monster finish. Bravo to the Gramercy team for this effort, and it will have three decades of overall longevity. Unfortunately, there were a scant 171 cases made.