2005 Winston Hill Proprietary Red Frank Family Vineyards

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Winston Hill, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, sees a slightly higher percentage of new French oak, but came in at the same natural alcohol level of 14.5%. The owners named the vineyard after their dog. Dollars to doughnuts, I would have said they owned an English Bulldog, but I couldn’t be more wrong. The dog was an English Springer Spaniel. To meet an English Bulldog with the name Winston in Napa Valley, you have to go up to the northeast corridor and visit Hundred Acre Winery, where proprietor Jason Woodbridge has a big stud English Bulldog named Winston. The 2005 Winston Hill is a killer wine and clearly one of the stars of the vintage. Dense purple, it looks more like a barrel sample than a wine at ten years of age. Multidimensional, with intense crème de cassis fruit, spring flowers and delicate oak, this youthful powerhouse is extremely young, full-bodied and enormously impressive. This is a sensational, rich, complex Cabernet Sauvignon that is bursting with potential. This profound Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon goes on for a good 45+ seconds, and is one of the great classics of the vintage. It should drink well for another 20+ years.