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Hors Bordeaux tasting notes: USA
Given the iconic status of many wines from the US – from established icons like Opus One, Vérité and Inglenook to those in the process of becoming icons (Favia, Morlet, Peter Michael and Pym Rae) – it is perhaps unsurprising that many of the superstars of the autumn collection come from the US, reports Colin Hay.
There is also the sheer number and diversity of the wines on offer from the US to consider – from Ernst Loosen’s sublime Oregon Pinot Noir (Appassionata Fortissimo) to L’Aventure’s Pasa Robles ‘Rhone’ blend (Côte à Côte). It is therefore difficult and probably unfair to pick out highlights. But if I force myself to do so it is difficult to look past the two wines that, by their scores alone, place them above all of the September releases – Morlet’s exceptional Coeur de Vallée and Paul Hobbs’ beguiling Cristina’s Signature.
Peter Michael’s Les Pavots and Vérité’s Le Désir (which I really need to re-taste from better stemware) both come very close to perfection too. I was also deeply impressed by all that I tasted from Inglenook and Favia and I have never tasted better from Pym Rae or Beaulieu.
| Oregon releases | Vintage | Region | 1st release? | Rating |
| *Appassionata Fortissimo (Ernst Loosen) | 2013 | Oregon | No | 97+ |
| Californian releases | Vintage | Region | 1st release? | Rating |
| Morlet Coeur de Vallée | 2021 | Napa | No | 100 |
| Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon | 2021 | Napa | No | 97 |
| Inglenook Rubicon | 2021 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon | 2021 | Napa | No | 96 |
| Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon | 2021 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour | 2021 | Napa | No | 97+ |
| Paul Hobbs Cristina’s Signature | 2021 | Napa | No | 100 |
| Quintessa | 2021 | Napa | No | 97 |
| Cardinale Estate Wine | 2021 | Napa | No | 100 |
| Favia Coombsville | 2021 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Favia Cerro Sur | 2021 | Napa | No | 97+ |
| Favia Oakville | 2021 | Napa | No | 97 |
| Overture | 2021 | Napa | No | NYT |
| Opus One | 2021 | Napa | No | NYT |
| Maya (Dalla Valle) | 2021 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Pym Rae (Tesseron Estate) | 2020 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Au Paradis (Peter Michael) | 2021 | Napa | No | 98 |
| Les Pavots (Peter Michael) | 2021 | Sonoma | No | 99 |
| Vérité La Joie | 2021 | Sonoma | No | 98 |
| Vérité La Muse | 2021 | Sonoma | No | 98 |
| Vérité Le Désir | 2021 | Sonoma | No | 99 |
| L’Aventure Optimus | 2021 | Pasa Robles | No | 95 |
| L’Aventure Côte à Côte | 2021 | Pasa Robles | No | 96+ |
| L’Aventure Estate Cuvée | 2021 | Pasa Robles | No | 97 |
Appassionata ‘Fortissimo’ Pinot Noir 2013 (Oregon; 100% Pinot Noir on a volcanic clay terroir; 13.4% alcohol; tasted with Timothy Malone, the winemaker; matured for 20 months in French oak barriques, 25% of which were new; bottled 22-24 months after vinification and held for 10 years, guaranteeing provenance; just 130 cases made). Ernst Loosen’s Oregon Pinot Noir. From a tricky and challenging vintage, with a big dollop of rain before the harvest requiring rigorous sorting. Floral. Crushed petals, rose water, a little thyme and oregano, Bergamot too. Pink rose petals in picture-perfect pixilated detail! That parfumier’s rose petal scent too, very fine and pure – just more intense than one could ever find naturally. The petal character is reinforced by the black tea note and there’s a little sous bois too. There’s a very fresh fruit signature too. Raspberry, black raspberry, loganberry and red cherry, a hint of peach and apricot, cherry sweets (picking up that natural sweetness). White pepper. A hint of clove. This is aerial, energetic, lithe, crystalline and intensely limpid at least on the full and ample opening. Yet the grippy, grainy tannins build as this unfolds over the palate. Shimmering and gorgeous texturally, with plunge-pool clarity in the mid-palate. Still very much a vin de garde at this stage, this is a wine build for aging, yet it’s already very fluid on the extraordinary finish. I understand the logic of releasing this late now much more than I did for the 2012. I find this a big step up from the first release. 97+.
Morlet Coeur de Vallée 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; 95% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 15.6% alcohol; aged 16 months in French oak, 85% of which was new; tasted in person with Luc Morlet at the CVBG press tasting; essentially the last part of the Oakville Valley to be planted though historically vines had been grown there; a terroir of gravel on a very fine-grained loamy subsoil, the alluvial deposits washed down from the Kalon Creek; picked four rows at a time with a team of 8 at night; naturally fermented in 600-litre French oak puncheons; unfined and unfiltered). Such an impressive wine, above all in this excellent vintage. The 2020 was fabulous, especially given the context of a difficult vintage, this is as brilliant in the context of an exceptional vintage (not least as there is no hint here of the drought conditions that were the challenge of this year). For me, alongside Cristina’s Signature and the Peter Michael wines, this is the pick of the US releases on La Place this year. And of those this is also perhaps the most Bordelais. Cedar. Black cherry, black currant, bramble, damson, a little walnut and coffee bean and perhaps a suggestion of fine first-press peppery olive oil. Violet, iris and iris bulb too. Pen ink. There’s staggering concentration here, and great density – the effect achieved by the wonderfully authentic Cabernet Sauvignon tannins whose fine granularity engages to fight with the external parameters of the palate, never allowing the wine to veer far from a supremely well-defined central spine. That might imply a wine that’s a bit severe. But that’s not at all the case here. For this is so silkily textured. The quality of the pixilating tannins is remarkable and that gives this an incredible clarity and crystallinity in the mid-palate for something with so much extract and concentration. And that, in turn, allows the fruit to dance and play, to glisten and glide, releasing sapidity and the Cabernet Franc’s herbal florality, above all with gentle aeration in the mouth. Exquisite already, but with the capacity to age glacially (this is more of a vin de garde than the more immediately accessible 2020). The length of my tasting note indicates my sheer enthusiasm. Joyous. 100.
Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Napa Valley; 95% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2.75% Cabernet Franc; 2% Merlot; 0.25% Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol; Philippe Bascaules of Chateau Margaux is the consultant oenologist here). I find this very classical. Cassis. Tinder box. A hint of oak smoke. Incense. A light florality – lilac, maybe a touch of lavender. Beeswax. A touch of salinity. Satin-textured and with loads of freshness, bringing a bright lift and luminosity to the mid-palate – all the more impressive given the density and compactness here. A great success. 97.
Inglenook Rubicon 2021 (Napa Valley; 87% Cabernet Sauvignon; 9% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot; 14.2% alcohol; Philippe Bascaules of Chateau Margaux is the consultant oenologist here). Incense, wood smoke, pine resin, lilac, rose petals. Charred rosemary, just like the 2013. Glistening and sparkling in its lithe and bright, crystalline freshness ,here rather more so than either the 2013 or 2015. A truly lovely mouthfeel. The closest to this, amongst the la place September releases, is Cristina’s Signature texturally. The tactile tannins build as they grip, showing the serious side of this wine after a delightfully playful entry. Fine and fresh, the low alcohol really helping this remain sprightly. Excellent. Exciting. Dynamic. As good as vintage as I’ve ever tasted. 98.
Chappellet Signature 2021 (Napa Valley; 79% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Petit Verdot; 7% Malbec; 6% Merlot; 14.5% alcohol). Cordite. Candlewax. Crushed petals. Dark berry fruits. Super svelte and broad and ample on the attack, a very dense and compact spherical core. Greater density than Inglenook, more concentrated but perhaps a little less limpid and crystalline for that, though still impressively pure. Liquorice on the long rolling finish. 96.
Chappellet Pritchard Hill 2021 (Napa Valley; 95% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% alcohol). Rich, dense, compact, with an incredibly concentrated spherical core – a black whole of black fruit. Cinders, struck match, incense, patchouli, dark cherries and darker berries. Big-boned and heavy (like the bottle)! Considerable, Impressive if a bit of a bruiser. Body-building, muscular, this will need at least a decade, with a lot of tannin still to resolve. 96.
Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley; 94% Cabernet Sauvignon; 6% Petit Verdot; pH 3.64; 14.7% alcohol). Plum and damson, peony and gladioli. A little rose petal too – with more to come on the palate. This is a wine that I have found rather foursquare in recent vintages; not in this. Almost Bordelais in its crystallinity, but the density and compactness here is considerable. There’s also a lot of tannin, but it’s so fine-grained as to be very well disguised. Impressive. Juicy and fresh. Delicious. 97+. RRP: £150.
Paul Hobbs Cristina’s Signature 2021 (Nathan Coombs Estate, Coombsville, Napa Valley; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% alcohol; tasted with Paul Hobbs and then at the Joanne press tasting). Full. Tight. Dense and compact. Graphite and a touch of cedar. So spherical in form – and, interestingly, one senses that already from the aromatics. Cinnamon, white pepper, cassis, a hint of blackcurrant leaf, sage, oregano. Peony and rose petal. So plush, plump and full in the mouth – that spherical form anticipated from the aromatics so vividly present on the palate. Crystalline and limpid, lithe and engaging. I love the little grip of the ultra-fine grained tannins – the Paul Hobbs signature – and the graphite that is the terroir signature, Cristina’s signature. Incredibly long and gently tapering towards a far-distant horizon. So pure and integral, so fine and elegant. A staggering wine with great aging potential that is already fabulously accessible and utterly beguiling. Spectacular. 100.
Quintessa 2021 (Napa Valley; 91% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Cabernet Franc; 3% Carménère; 1% Merlot; 1% Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol). Gracious. Aromatically I find this very floral and lifted, if a little closed at first (not at all a bad thing). Peony. Lily of the valley. Wild thyme. A hint of graphite too. Black berry and stone fruit. Serious. And seriously dense and compact too. Blockier and more foursquare on the palate than one imagines from the aerial, lifted aromatics. Massively layered and dense. Needs time – and deserves it. 97. (€132 ex negoc.).
Cardinale 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; 90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; sourced from Napa’s mountain vineyards, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain and Diamond Mountain). NYT.
Favia Coombsville 2021 (Coombsville, Napa Valley; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; this comes from a volcanic terroir – a collapsed caldera with lots of pumice; 15% alcohol; tasted with Annie Favia and Andy Erickson over Zoom from Napa at the CVBG press tasting). A little closed at first. Delicate when tasted after Pritchard Hill and even after Favia Cerro Sur, though these are staggeringly different wines! Glossy. Lithe. Limpid. Crystalline. Pure, fresh and very refined. Yet quite inky too. Plummy damson fruit. Black tea. Hyacinth bulbs with a little loamy earth still clinging to them. This has a broader and more ample frame than the Cerro Sur. Savoury and saline in its minerality. More obviously layered too. A little more serious and even a tad austere. It is pixilated by the fine-grained tannins and nicely layered. There’s a pleasing fluidity to this that is disrupted for now only by the tactile, savoury tannins. Impressive. A touch of iodine on the finish. Cedar elements come through with aeration and time in the glass. This feels cooler, above all than the Oakville wine. 98. (€155 ex negoc.).
Favia Cerro Sur 2021 (Vaca Mountains, Napa; around 53% Cabernet Franc; 32% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot, with some co-fermentation; about 50% new oak; 15% alcohol; the 21st vintage of this wine; tasted with Annie Favia and Andy Erickson over Zoom from Napa at the CVBG press tasting). Old vine, on a volcanic soil and with a northern and eastern exposure, helping to lock in freshness as does the altitude (we’re at over 1000 feet here). A dry but not especially hot vintage. Tiny grapes; a small crop. Incense. Cinders. Struck match. A lovely redolent Cabernet Franc florality. Peonies. Violets. This is spicy too – cinnamon and nutmeg, cracked black pepper. And there’s a touch of lavender. Damson. Dark plum skin. Blueberry. Black berry and bramble. Tobacco leaf. This is so gracious and elegant, lithe, limpid and incredibly refined. Intense and exceptionally concentrated on the palate, but balanced and harmonious. It is never too much. Quite a narrow frame and very linear. Fresh and lifted. The tannins are beady and grainy and yet incredibly fine but increasingly grippy and tender as we near the finish. Needs time, but you don’t really appreciate that until the last third of the development. Plump and juicy and incredibly refreshing. There’s a kind of Ausone quality to this, though the tannins are, of course, rather different! 97+. (€155 ex negoc.).
Favia Oakville 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% alcohol; new to la place this September, a first release; tasted with Annie Favia and Andy Erickson over Zoom from Napa at the CVBG press tasting). The smallest traditionally of the production of these three wines, but there is a new vineyard bordering Opus One that will increasingly provide fruit for this. At 900 feet of elevation, close to Screaming Eagle. The most notably sunny of these, and in a way that accentuates the sense of lift. But you notice that less as the wine breathes in the oxygen and relaxes. Iron minerality. Very Cabernet Sauvignon and very Napa. Beadier tannins, glassier and less pointy, but they build and build towards the finish. A little notes of iris. The hint of hyacinth bulb that I also find in the Coombsville wine. Dark berry fruit, a little plum and a touch of black cherry. Walnut shell. This is very chewy and a little unresolved on the finish, but that just means it needs longer. Impressively sapid on the finish, with the tannins gathering just as they start to hint at dryness before a final release of juicy freshness. Excellent. More obviously a vin de garde. 97. (€155 ex negoc.).
Overture 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; aged for just over 19 months in new French oak; 15% alcohol). This I will taste later in the year in the context of a wider vertical. Tasting note to follow. NYT.
Opus One 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; Cabernet Sauvignon 93%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 2%, Merlot 0.5%, and Malbec 0.5%; aged for just over 19 months in new French oak; 15% alcohol). This I will taste later in the year in the context of a wider vertical. Tasting note to follow. NYT.
Maya (Dalla Valle Vineyards) 2021 (Napa Valley; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Cabernet Franc; 15% alcohol). Lovely. Open and expressive, dynamic, lithe and vertical aromatically, with the leafy Cabernet Franc notes rising through the Cabernet Sauvignon frame. Stamens and saffron. Pollen. Lilac. Rose. A bulbier note too. Freshly grated beetroot! Chocolate ganache. Dark berry and stone fruit. Chewy tannins. The alcohol I feel a little on the finish. And the tannins are a tad dry. But this is unmistakably impressive, balanced, layered and harmonious. It will make a great bottle in a decade or two. Quite ferrous in its minerality. Cassis with aeration. 98.
Pym Rae (Tesseron Estate) 2020 (Mount Veeder, Napa Valley; 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Cabernet Franc; 15% Merlot; there are just 7.5 hectares of vines here in a property of 300 hectares; in effect 2 vineyards at 500 and 600 metres respectively, so an average altitude of around 550 metres; tiny yields here too and entirely ‘dry farmed’, the irrigation removed on purchase in 2016; aged in a combination of concrete tanks French oak barrels, mainly new; 15% alcohol; certified organic and biodynamic; the vines are now around 35 years of age; tasted at Pontet Canet with Justine and Noé Tesseron). The fifth vintage of this wine and the second to be certified both organic and biodynamic. This is also, impressively, the product of dry farming, showing that it is possible even here, aided by the irrigation system having been removed in 2016 (removing all temptation!) and the unique terroir. Gloriously cedar-encrusted with loads of graphite too and, with aeration, a lovely bulbous Cabernet Franc florality. Very bordelais in its style and in its finesse, but radiant with a distinctly Californian sunshine (‘solaire’). Black cherry and cassis, bramble and above all mulberry, a touch of blueberry too. More and more cassis with aeration. A hint of liquorice. Chocolate ganache. Spearmint. Eucalyptus. A lovely hint of beeswax. Saffron too. Distinct in its terroir singularity and with lots of character and identity. Herbal and mineral at the same time, but less saline than it used to be. The freshness is key here and it comes both with attention to detail and the altitude of the vines – with 15 degrees of difference in temperature between the day and the night here and, indeed, three weeks’ difference in the picking dates between the two plots (separated only by 100 metres of elevation). There’s lovely crystallinity here too contributing to a beautiful mouthfeel. Supple and lithe, tactile and dynamic, with lovely subtle crumbly tannins. Svelte and very pure, less ample than the 2019 perhaps, giving this more impact. A wine that copes so well with the heat of the vintage, remaining profoundly fresh from the altitude. Super-juicy. Tender and sapid on the finish, with little ripples of ascending tannic grip that seems to unleash, one after another, the descending crash of fresh fruit onto the shore. I am struck as never before, and above all in this challenging vintage, the Tesseron signature. 98.
Peter Michael Winery ‘Au Paradis’ 2021 (Oakville Estate, Napa Valley; 88% Cabernet Sauvignon; 9% Cabernet Franc; 3% Merlot; 60% new oak for the same amount of time; 15.8% alcohol; tasted with Robert Fiore since 2020, the winemaker, over Zoom at the CVBG press tasting). Purchased in 2009. Elevation of 150-200 metres above the valley floor on the Eastern side of the Vaca Mountain range. Richer, fuller, more plump still and more ample in its frame, but with almost the same impact and intensity. Very relaxed and harmonious aromatically and that continues on the palate. Hyacinth, peony and iris – a slightly darker shades floral profile and, if anything, darker berry fruits too. Blueberries, brambles, mulberries being the most prominent notes; a little black cherry and damson too. Black tea. The small amount of Cabernet Franc goes a long way here. Intensity from the small and concentrated berries. Exceptional once again. A special wine. Dark chocolate, a little mocha. Gorgeous texturally. Quite sumptuous and ethereal. Deceptive as the tannic volume is significant but so soft is this texturally that you scarcely notice. 98.
Peter Michael Winery ‘Les Pavots’ 2021 (Knights Valley AVA, Sonoma County; 62% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Cabernet Franc; 7% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; aged for 18 months in around 70% new French oak barrels; 15.8% alcohol; tasted with Robert Fiore, the winemaker since 2020, over Zoom at the CVBG press tasting; the highest tannic levels since 2013). In the shadow of Mount Saint Helena. From a mountain vineyard (290-600 metres). Intense yet lithe and lifted, energetic and bright, crisp and fresh. Glossy, creamy fine-grained tannins nicely structuring the fruit, gently coaxing it into a quite narrow frame in build around a well-defined core. Lush and intensely floral. Iris. Lily. Pink rose petals, with more aeration. Gladioli. A little wild herbal note. There’s amazing intensity to the fruit. Dark, rich, plump and yet crunchy and juicy red and much darker berry and stone fruits. Damson and dark plums, black cherries and brambles, mulberries too. With aeration in the glass the cassis arrives. Cedar and graphite in equal measure. Truly spectacular, above all in this vintage. 99.
Vérité La Joie 2021 (Sonoma County; 71% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Framc; 5% Petit Verdot; 13.9% alcohol). Gorgeous. Utterly sublime aromatically. Gracious. Toasty. Beautiful tannins, so soft and caressing. Bulby in its florality. Fascinating. Layered and precise, delicate and pure, the oak already very well integrated. Long and tannic on the finish but light and aerial all the way to the finish. 98.
Vérité La Muse 2021 (Sonoma County; 90% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 4% Malbec; 14.1% alcohol). This is more classical in a way. It’s toastier too. Cassis. Tinder box. A rosy petally florality. It’s lithe and limpid with a lovely layered texture and ultra-fine grained but still grippy tannins. It still needs a little time to sup up the wood. Bulby and chewy on the long finish. 98.
Vérité Le Désir 2021 (Sonoma; 87% Cabernet Franc;; 10% Merlot; 3% Malbec; 14.1% alcohol). This is immediately less oaky than the other Vérité wines. Intensely floral, with peony, lilac and blackcurrant leaf notes. Stemmy too. Lifted. Aerial. Very dark berries – blueberries, mulberries. Lithe and supple, multi-layered. This is the most crystalline in and through the open-textured mid-palate. Refined and pure. Impressive in its levity. Lithe. 99.
L’Aventure Optimus 2021 (Paso Robles AVA; 55% Syrah; 27% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Petit Verdot; 36% in Y1; 15% alcohol; tasted with Swann Dufeu from L’Aventure at CVBG). The name Optimus is a concatenation of Opus One + Dominus – an homage to the two. Lithe. Dense and compact. Chewy. The tannins are a little unresolved, but this has a plush, tight dense and charged core. Quite energetic. One senses the limestone tannins. Nice linear structure. Floral, with rose petal essence and pot pourri the first notes to express themselves. Lifted. Elegant. Stylish. There’s a slight suggestion of nail varnish and candlewax too. There’s also a nice salinity, interwoven with the Syrah fruit just as it should be. Deep dark plump plush berries. Very pure and refined, this is not at all a block-buster. Juicy. Polished, with lots of finesse. Velvety textured, with quite a dense and perhaps surprisingly four-square central block of dark fruit, graphite and pepper surrounded by very fine-grained, soft and supple, almost delicate tannins. Nicely pixilated. 95.
L’Aventure Côte à Côte 2021 (Paso Robles; 37% Grenache; 32% Syrah; 31% Mourvedre; 30% new oak; 18% in concrete; 16% in amphora 14.9% alcohol; tasted with Swann Dufeu from L’Aventure at CVBG; aged in amphora, concrete, new and one-year old French old barrels). Fascinating. Distinctive. Indeed, a little Cote Rôtie-esque (written, I should note, before I was told that the name itself is an homage to the Northern Rhone) but also describing the location of the key parcels here. Rose petals. Peony. This is more floral than the Estate bottling. An open fire and the warm cinders afterwards. Meaty too. Open-textured, layered, with tannins that build in presence and granularity towards the finish. Limpid, glossy and impressively luminous. Inky, deep, dark and concentrated. Dense and intense, the attack not too ample and that reinforces the sense of concentration. Nice freshness. Juicy. Lovely grippy, crumbly limestone tannins bring great tension, chiselled structure and a very lifted fantail finish to this. 96+.
L’Aventure Estate Cuvée 2021 (Paso Robles; 50% Syrah; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Petit Verdot; 14.9% alcohol; 20th anniversary bottling in blue; tasted with Swann Dufeu from L’Aventure at CVBG in Bordeaux). A slightly cooler vintage overall. Selected from the very best parcels. Plump, plush; rich and plummy. Damson; black raspberry; a little blueberry too; a hint of sloe. Lithe. More ample and rolling. Big textured and nicely layered. Dense but beautifully crystalline. A pleasing note of cedar, a little pine resin and acacia too. A hint of eucalyptus. Ethereal and quite vertical and lifted despite the palpable mid-palate density. Incense, tinder box, sweet spices and black pepper. Granular on the finish, this is a big, punchy wine with lovely crumbly limestone tannins once again. Hedonistic on the attack, but fresher on the finish. 97.
Californian whites
| Californian releases (white) | Vintage | Region | 1st release? | Rating |
| Inglenook Blancaneaux | 2022 | Napa | No | 96 |
| Quintessa Illumination | 2023 | Napa & Sonoma | No | 95 |
Inglenook Blancaneaux 2022 (Rutherford, Napa Valley; from just 8.5 hectares of the 235 hectares of Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook estate; 40% Viognier; 37% Rousanne; 23% Marsanne; 13.4% alcohol; Philippe Bascaules of Chateau Margaux is the consultant oenologist here). Waxy. Rich. But lovely freshness and crystalline crisp verticality. Concentrated and intense, but with a constant vein of acidity bringing a bright and crisp freshness. White grapefruit. A hint of exotic fresh fruit – passionfruit. Very zesty and pure. It needs that crunch as the mid-palate is dense and rich, but never fat. Tense and taut. Charged and racy. Glacial and gracious in its purity. 96.
Quintessa Illumination 2023 (Napa/Sonoma; 58% Sauvignon Blanc Musque; 32% Sauvignon Blanc; 10% Sémillon; 13.5% alcohol). Lithe. Ultra-fresh. Searing in its acidity. The sample is almost a little pétillant. Lemon zest, a hint of fresh pineapple, but subtle, confit white melon, white grapefruit and a little mimosa perhaps. Gooseberry. Bright and crisp. 95. (€42 ex negoc.).
Cardinale 2021 (Oakville, Napa Valley; 90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Merlot; sourced from Napa’s mountain vineyards, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain and Diamond Mountain). Gorgeously classy cedar-inflected aromatics. Plush. Plump. Quite lifted. Gracious. There’s a touch of Napa oak, but it’s very delicate. This is a very finely detailed, layered and incredibly complex wine that really shows off the qualities of the exceptional terroirs from which it is sourced and the skill with which they have been brought together. I love the tight and well-focused core, the fruit tightly wound and interwoven binding it to an ever more pronounced central spine. The intensity of that fruit builds in a startling, striking and unexpected way. Incredibly youthful. It seems accessible from the aromatics and on the attack but this is a silken monster of a wine, deceptively powerful and that will need plenty of patient aging. Magisterial. 100.
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