A vineyard designate of 96 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 4 percent Malbec, grown at 225 to 750 ft elevation in the hills above Jimtown, in the Alexander Valley. The wine is fresh, with good acidity. The winery attributes this in part to the high-acid, well-drained soils, which produce concentrated berries. The fruit skews black cherry, smoked blueberry, and blackberries, and the fragrant top notes are woodsy but lack that cedar-juniper note of much Napa Cab. The smooth tannins snap like powdered graphite, and the wine finishes with a parting, pleasing, bitter shot. Still, it’s youthful and needs a few years of bottle age to settle down and elaborate.
14.5% abv | $75 (sample)
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