I keep pulling these out to *check* on them, not wanting them to over-stay their welcome. I keep telling myself, they ARE cheap wines, and valley floor and though the pedigree is classic, the style has definitely changed. But this is it. I’m not drinking any more. And I have quite a bit. No more. No more cautious experiments. This is a timeless wine. Absolutely perfect in every possible way and showing that weld between tertiary and acid which will never cast the fruit aside. It’s gritty and disheveled. It has burnt tones surrounding the dustiness. It has ridiculous sweetness icing the berry. It has cola and tar and conifer bough and licorice and lace. It has dense purple blackness in the glass. It has tannin to the point you basically don’t notice them. Go ahead: ask for more.

2011 THE BEAULIEU VINEYARD Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 13.8

www.bvwines.com/