Wine Advocate (100)

Very deep inky purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is a little youthfully reticent at this stage, offering glimpses at freshly crushed black currants, black berries and plums with touches of dried Provence herbs, menthol, cigar boxes and Indian spices. Full-bodied with very firm, very ripe tannins and an incredible core of black fruit, earth and spice layers, it has wonderful freshness and depth, finishing long and multilayered. 618 cases produced.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Unfortunately, there won’t be a 2017 due to the fires, but the perfect 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder should certain tide you over. This literally off-the-charts effort is a good as Cabernet Sauvignon gets, offering complex blueberry and blackberry fruits, violets, bay leaf, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It’s a big, structured mountain Cabernet, yet it has a seamless texture, incredible elegance paired with full-bodied power, building tannins, and a great, great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it will keep for 3+ decades. Good luck keeping your hands off it, though. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2051

James Suckling (100)

Blackberries, herbs, green pine needles, blackcurrants and lead pencil. Full-bodied with incredible structure and powerful tannins. It goes on for minutes. The structure is something else. Muscular, but the tannins give form and focus to the beautiful fruit. Mountain-grown Latour! Extraordinary. Try after 2026.

Wine Advocate (98)

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain leaps from the glass with vibrant black currant cordial, blueberry and black cherry scents with touches of tree bark, black pepper, rose hip tea and violets. The medium to full-bodied palate has a solid structure of firm, chewy tannins supporting the muscular fruit, finishing with great freshness and plenty of latent depth. Give it another 2-3 years in bottle and drink it over the next 30+. 624 cases produced.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Also borderline perfection, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District offers more conifer and pine forest notes as well as vivid blueberry fruits, a full-bodied, intense, layered mouthfeel, thrilling elegance, and a big finish. My note on this one was sprinkled with a few expletives and this wine has everything you could want from Cabernet Sauvignon. As with the other 2016s from Chris, 2-4 years of bottle age are recommended.

Wine Advocate (97-100)

The 2018 Cave des Lions is a barrel sample of about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, aging in 100% new French oak. It comes from fruit that grows in front of the Daou family home. Opaque purple-black in color, it has the most singular nose loaded with kaleidoscopic aromas: cigar ash, English breakfast tea, rooibos, hibiscus, iron, crushed stone, blackcurrant jam, blackberry pie, vanilla bean, Morello cherries, chocolate box and cigar box. I’ve never smelled anything like this—it's like staring into a well of archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to full-bodied, the satiny palate spreads its glorious flavor wings, with unbelievable melting tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very layered. This is unreal!

Vinous (100)

I knew it was only a matter of time before Davide Cilli would make a wine at Promontory that would represent the maximum expression of this rugged hillside site. The 2014 Promontory has been exceptional in the past, but it has also gained another gear or two over the last year, which is pretty much now standard for these wines. Stunningly delineated and precise, with tremendous purity and exceptional balance, the 2014 Promontory dazzles from start to finish. This is an especially translucent style, one that is more about persistence and balance than power alone. Stated simply, the 2014 Promontory is towering achievement from one of Napa Valley's most talented young winemakers. Kudos to the Harlan family and the winegrowing team led by Bob Levy and Cory Empting for creating the framework that allowed Cilli to craft this exquisite, riveting Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Wine Independent (100)

Deep purple-black colored, the nose of the 2016 Promontory starts a little sluggish and broody before positively erupting with powerful scents of plum preserves and crème de cassis, followed by exotic hints of cardamom, Indian spices, and sandalwood, plus wafts of fertile loam and crushed rocks. The palate is full-bodied, rich, and velvety, intertwining opulence and minerality with wonderful vibrancy and gravitas, finishing with an epically long-lasting array of earthy sparks. Now starting to shut down as it heads into a slumber, give it a good 4-5 more years in the cellar before broaching, then drink it over the next 30+ years.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Packed full of vivid (there really doesn't seem any other word for it) cassis and blueberry fruits, floral, textural and nuanced. Cabernet Sauvignon signature mix of crushed rocks, mint, crayon and slate, just a brilliant wine and a reflection of its exceptional site. This is elegant and precise while still delivering muscular, powerful flavours. I first tasted it at the property last November, and it's reassuring to see it make exactly the same impression when retasted back in Bordeaux, away from the awe-inspiring landscape. Harvest September 10 through to October 23. David Cilli winemaker, director Will Harlan.

Opaque ruby colour with ripe cassis, plum, and redcurrant fruit, toasty oak barrel spice, vanilla, fennel, juniper berry, bay laurel, well-integrated velvety tannins, full mid-palate, firm acid, long, sumptuous finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Scheduled to be released in March of this year, the deep ruby-colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon would give the 2015 Château Margaux (that’s what leaped into my head as I tasted this) a run for its money and is an utterly perfect bottle of wine that does everything right. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from very old, dry farmed vines in what was previously known as the J.J. Cohn Vineyard, its deep purple color is followed by a heavenly perfume of blueberries, spring flowers, lead pencil, exotic spices, and graphite. Slightly more focused and poised than the M. Etain release, with full body, ultra-fine tannins, and no hard edges, it’s a wine of incredible elegance paired with remarkable intensity, and it’s rare to find a wine that marries both so effortlessly. As with the vast majority of truly great Cabernet Sauvignons, it’s great today and will be great in 30 years.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2015 Screaming Eagle is another monumental wine from this address, and it's one of those cases where if you afford it, you should buy it. A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, this magical elixir boasts a deep purple color as well as a blockbuster bouquet of blueberries, creme de cassis, violets, incense, and cedarwood. Reminding me of the 2015 Château Margaux with its off the charts class and purity, it’s full-bodied, thrillingly textured, and has a finish that just won't quit. This legendary wine is going to keep for 30-40 years.

James Suckling (100)

The subtle and nuanced aromas to this are so enticing with perfumed, floral, blackcurrant and blackberry character. Roses, too. Some lavender. Full-bodied yet so refined and polished with the most transparent and polished texture. Firm and seamless. So beautiful now. Give it three or four years to come around, but this already sings.

Wine Advocate (100)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Screaming Eagle soars out of the glass with vibrant notions of ripe blackberries, black cherries and fresh red and black currants plus wafts of licorice, candied violets, cedar chest and clove oil with a beguiling touch of sea spray. Medium-bodied with jaw-dropping elegance, the palate is finely textured and yet built like a brick house with a super taut backbone and exquisitely knit acidity. The intense black and red fruit flavors are accented by layers of mineral and floral notions, finishing with incredible length and depth. Undeniably stunning. “I loved it!” winemaker Nick Gislason told me when I asked him for his thoughts on the 2018 vintage. “Everything is just really perfumey with a lot of verve and a lot of freshness. It’s a wholesome vintage, if that makes sense? The canopies were big and healthy; there was a lot of life in the vineyard. After 2017, it felt like the bloom that comes afterward.” He went on to say, "We made a little 2017 red. Only four barrels of the Cab! Ten barrels of The Flight. Only from grapes that came in before the fires—mainly Merlot and a couple of blocks of Cabernet." Whereas Screaming Eagle is mainly sourced from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the western side of the estate, there is one plot of old Merlot (1980s plantings) on the eastern side of the vineyard that continually makes the backbone of this Second Flight/The Flight. This is planted on very gravelly, well-drained soils. Gislason explained, “The Cabernet Sauvignon for The Flight is always about being fresh, light and perfumey, without the firmer tannins that Cabernet can sometimes give. There is a ‘fresh’ end of the property that this tends to come from. There is some other Merlot on the other side of the property that doesn’t have the acidity, perfume or brightness we’re looking for. We don’t use this in The Flight.”

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, coming from a small section of estate vines closer to the Napa river. It is entirely fermented in French oak, but only about 5% is new. The grapes are pressed straight to barrels and kept on their gross lees. The wine is fermented using native yeasts. This vintage, the nose is not at all shy—it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of ripe peaches, passion fruit and musk perfume plus wafts of honeycomb, elderflower, ripe gooseberries and lemongrass with a waft of Bosc pears. The palate is super intense and yet ethereally weighted, light-bodied and oh-so-fine, elegant and refreshing, featuring a whole array of chalk and sea spray sparks, creating a shimmer to all the many citrus and stone fruit layers, finishing with great length and energy. There is a truly interesting phenolic texture to the palate that reminds me of some Chardonnays, particularly Burgundian examples. Winemaker Nick Gislason commented that the gross lees contain a lot of phenolic content, which is where the wine picks up that textural component. Love it!

Vinous (98)

The 2016 The Flight is gorgeous. Dark, brooding and closed in on itself, the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is incredibly beguiling today. Plum, black cherry, lavender, blood orange menthol, and a host of more mineral-driven notes punctuate this super-expressive wine. This is a decidedly tannic and powerful edition of The Flight. I can't wait to see how it ages. Bottled just six weeks before this tasting, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. Time in the glass brings out some of the softer edges that will almost surely emerge with cellaring. The Flight is built on a core of older Merlot vines from the southeast corner of the estate. It is an absolutely riveting wine from Screaming Eagle.

James Suckling (100)

This is an incredible wine with such depth and energy and ethereal, mind-blowing sensibility. It sent shivers down my spine tasting it. It just shines on the nose, like bright sunlight breaking through a dark sky. Aromas of raspberries, citrus, violets and dark earth. Full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that go vertical and endless, from top to bottom. A monument for merlot-based wines. Drinkable now, but needs six to eight years to come around.

James Suckling (99)

Extremely floral and aromatic with violets and lavender throughout. Black olives, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, very fine-grained tannins that run the length of the wine. Goes on for minutes. A greenish undertone comes out at the end with some spearmint, green tea and green olive. About two-thirds merlot. Best after 2028, but already stunning.

Vinous (100)

The 2018 Sloan is a flat out stunner. Rich, dramatic and full-bodied, with striking energy, the 2018 is viscerally thrilling right out of the gate. Black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and gravel all build as this towering, statuesque Cabernet shows off its pedigree. The 2018 is simply magical, and just as breathtaking from bottle as it was as a barrel sample last year. It is the very finest Sloan I have ever tasted. I can't wait to see how it ages.

The Wine Independent (99)

The 2018 Pym-Rae is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs considerable swirling to unlock evocative, pristine notes of juicy blackberries, ripe blueberries, cassis, and red currant jelly, followed by hints of lavender, crushed rocks, bay leaves, and iron ore, with a fragrant waft of cinnamon and cloves. The densely laden, full-bodied palate bursts with ripe, perfumed black fruits, supported by firm, very finely grained tannins, and fantastic tension, finishing with a long-lasting firework display of red berry and earthy sparks. With a 4–6-hour double-decant, it is delicious now, but if you want that next-level experience, give it a good 5-6 more years in bottle and drink it over the next 40 years+.

A collaboration between winemakers Jess Jackson and Pierre Seillan, Vérité was launched with the aim of creating wines from Sonoma that could rival that of Pétrus. Since its inaugural vintage in 1998, Vérité has achieved colossal success, including being awarded seven 100 point scores from Robert M. Parker Jr. Guided by Pierre Seillan’s micro-cru philosophy and over 50 years of experience, Vérité produces 3 blends – La Joie, La Muse and La Désir, from a myriad of over 50 distinct plots spread across 4 appellations across Sonoma - namely Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Bennet Valley AVAs.

It contains one bottle of each:

1x75cl La Joie 2013 - 100 Points | Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Wine Advocate)

1x75cl La Muse 2013 - 100 Points | Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Wine Advocate)

1x75cl La Désir 2013 - 99 Points | Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Wine Advocate)

A collaboration between winemakers Jess Jackson and Pierre Seillan, Vérité was launched with the aim of creating wines from Sonoma that could rival that of Pétrus. Since its inaugural vintage in 1998, Vérité has achieved colossal success, including being awarded seven 100 point scores from Robert M. Parker Jr. Guided by Pierre Seillan’s micro-cru philosophy and over 50 years of experience, Vérité produces 3 blends – La Joie, La Muse and La Désir, from a myriad of over 50 distinct plots spread across 4 appellations across Sonoma - namely Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Bennet Valley AVAs.

It contains one bottle of each:

1x75cl La Joie 2015 - 99 Points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

1x75cl La Muse 2015 - 97 Points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

1x75cl La Désir 2015 - 100 Points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

Jeb Dunnuck (La Joie) (100)

Another perfect wine is the 2016 La Joie, which is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot sourced all from the estate vineyards in the Pocket Peak portion of the Alexander Valley. This full-bodied, powerful yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon couldn’t be better and has incredible purity, layers of crème de cassis, white flowers, tobacco leaf, and flowers, a deep, multi-dimensional texture, and loads of ultra-fine tannins. I’d confidently put this up against any Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. As with the La Muse, it has the balance, purity, and class to drink spectacularly well even today, but it’s another wine that will benefit from a decade of cellaring and keep for 40-50 years.

Containing 1 bottle each of:

Vérité La Muse 2018 | 100 WA, 99 JD

Vérité La Joie 2018 | 98 WA, 98+ JD

Vérité Le Désir 2018 | 97+ WA, 98+ JD

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2014 La Muse (2,800 cases ) is a legendary effort. The wine offers an opaque purple color and a gorgeous nose of lead pencil shavings, blackberry, incense, Asian spice, cocoa, plum, and a touch of chocolate and barrique. On the palate, more cassis and blackberry come to the forefront. The wine is unctuous, with adequate acidity and a stunning energy underneath the massive fruit and body. This is a spectacularly fragrant and, at the same time, dense wine, with enough structure (somewhat surprising in this vintage) to last 35-45+ years. The final blend was 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2014 Le Désir (53% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec) has an inky purple color and a sweet kiss of chocolate, black truffle, forest floor, black raspberry and black currants. Opulent, but again structured and super-dense and pure, this is another massively concentrated wine meant for the long haul (and for our grandchildren). Give it 4-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 35-40 years. Remarkably, Pierre Seillan told me that 2014, while a drought year, was not actually that hot in the micro-terroirs he was working, but in terms of quality, it turned out to be the most surprisingly positive vintage he’s ever witnessed.

James Suckling (100)

Extremely pure and aromatic with sandalwood, blackcurrant, fresh-mushroom and rose-petal character. Full body and an extremely compact center palate with profound tannins that are so polished, drawing you down and down into the wine. Goes on and on. Be patient. Drink after 2025. 2,200 bottles made.

James Suckling (99)

Subtle and very beautiful with currants, tarragon, basil and rose petals in the aromas. It’s full-bodied, yet agile and so fine-textured with superb tannins that provide multi-layers on the palate. It’s refined, yet powerful at the end. Suggests greatness and longevity. Lots of blackcurrants, stones and violets in the after taste. Cabernet sauvignon with a touch of petit verdot. This needs three or four years to show its true greatness.

Wine Advocate (100)

I was blown away by the 2016 Finca Piedra Infinita, a wine I have been anticipating because I’ve seen the progression of the wine over the last few years. They use almost 40 different components to make this wine from small plots within the vineyard, especially the soils they call "supercalcáreo" (super limestone). The other type of soil they use is what they call "gravas calcáreas" (limestone gravels), and they don’t use any of the grapes from the deeper soils that go into the Q range. The wine has reached a stratospheric level of precision, symmetry and elegance in 2016 that is really captivating. Everything seems to be in its place; there is great harmony, the aromatics are clean and pure and the texture is like liquid chalk. There is power and elegance, energy and finesse. This is a really outstanding wine that summarizes the hard work at Zuccardi in the last few years. Bravo! 6,400 bottles were filled in February 2017.

Wine Advocate (98)

They use some specific soils for the 2017 Finca Piedra Infinita, up to eight different plots, but not all plots contribute to the wine every vintage; in general, the zones with 20 to 60 centimeters of soil and then large stones with calcium carbonate are reflected in the wines. So, they deconstruct the vineyard, and then they build the blend with the plots they like for each wine, up to eight here but only a specific one for the Supercal and Gravascal. There's a little more ripeness and exuberance here within the general austerity of the whole Piedra Infinita range, especially when compared with the 2018s. They harvested 15 to 20 days earlier than in 2018 (or in 2016) and they had to run, but the separation they have by soil helped them to harvest earlier the earlier-ripening parts of the vineyard. That gave them a great advantage and they produced very good 2017s, but the condition of the year, a shorter cycle and a more hurried year was what it was. This 2017 is not as long as the 2018, and there is a strong chalkiness in the finish. 7,300 bottles were filled in August 2018.