Dark garnet with clear edges. Effusive nose with crisp icy chords of petrichor frost and a sunny glow of decadent crème brûlée vanilla punctuating rather than smoothing. Heady match head over incredibly ripe fruit muddles the grainy cinnamon and nutmeg, nearly overwhelming the raw sexy fruit. A sweaty, perfectly integrated bouquet offers bitter tannin from the first moment and will soon rip the cream cheese frosting off the Dr. Pepper and 7UP carrot cake you’re enjoying.
In the mouth, leathery gorilla-knuckles of graham-cracker-crumbs and brown sugar vie with dripping black cherry and toast, painting a picture of no-holds-barred valley loam fruit against ratcheting earth and structure. The whole scenario here tells a story of another near perfect 2013 Napa Cab, a wine opulent enough to drink today and will easily support two decades of age.
2013 SPOTO Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Station Oakville Napa Valley 14.7
Stephen McConnell 