Clear medium ruby with pink edges. Mild, barely-interesting Dr. Pepper boring nose with little else. Decanted to open it up which was a mistake. It devolves into bland, raw-chicken with absolutely NOTHING else going on. Smooth, *yawn* nothingness which has become the trademark of so many Napa Valley cabs recently. This is a claret–in the pure, classic sense of the word. A eensy-weensy minerality curls in at the lower edges and then everything fades off into a barely-tickling parakeet-nibble of a tannic finish. Just complete vin ordinaire for ever and ever. This would be perfect for the holiday dinner where everyone is pouring 3/4 glasses and just *drinking*. Nothing even remotely interesting about this bottle. No serious flaws, just thin and boring. Thin, but still shockingly fat. I would be PISSED if I paid the $45 list for this. And seriously: Google Paul Maroon and everything gets really impressive really fast. Even this label states “Produced and bottled by” so there’s an extra 10 points. But am so glad I paid 19$ for it. It is barely worth that. Not because it is a BAD wine–it really is not a dreadful wine–just because it doesn’t have even one even REMOTELY interesting thing going on in it. Limp, lifeless red liquid.
2012 MAROON Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Select Napa Valley 13.8
Stephen McConnell 