The nose on this wine will just NOT STOP. Layers and layers of dusty chocolate: heady and concentrated; shrubbery clippings: green and packed with thorny briar; godawful amounts of fruit: a cherry tincture part maraschino and part fresh-firm; a cellar-floor worn but clean; I could smell this wine forever. High-elevation expressions of conifer and volcanic rock and red dirt. And the berry goes on and on… forever.

Tasting it reins everything back in. As crimson on the tongue as in the glass, PURE Cabernet fruit expressed on all points. A gentle burr of acid runs a strong rift down the middle and early-on, heightening the harsher subtleties of fruit and creating needed restraint. Tannins–green and elegant–play their part accentuating the berry: all systems working together to create an unforgettable glass of Cab.

I’ve always had pretty good luck with farmers-turned-producers and this is an absolute sleeper in the Napa Cab Sweepstakes. You will NOT have to pay 200 dollars for this. Any Napa Cab person reading this HAS to have this in their cellar. I’m glad I took a chance on it–a GREAT find and you would do well to pay attention.

2013 PESTONI FAMILY Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mt. Napa Valley 14.8

https://pestonifamily.com/