California

(14.1% alcohol): Saturated dark red with ruby tones. Bordeaux-like scents of currant, black cherry, blackberry, cedar, mocha and spicecake, with a cool medicinal note adding interest. This very suave, fine-grained wine starts closed but juicy, then builds steadily along its length (like a good Cuban cigar!), with flavors of dark berries, licorice and sweet spices continuing through a juicy, rising finish that leaves the palate vibrating. A very subtle wine of great finesse and insidious intensity, though not particularly Napa-like in its texture or weight. The tannins really dust the palate and linger. This very distinctive wine has a long life ahead of it.

-- Stephen Tanzer 95 Stephen Tanzer 2020 - 2035 Not Available May 2017

The 2009 Dominus has closed down quite a bit since I last tasted it. Today, all of the glorious fruit of the vintage is hiding behind a serious wall of tannin. The 2009 still possesses gorgeous inner perfume and plenty of sweetness, but little of the sexiness that will emerge over time. From time to time, the utter genius of the 2009 shows a glimpse of its potential. There is little doubt the 2009 will be a jewel once it awakens from what might very well be a long slumber. This is another wine that begs for patience. The 2009 is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

-- Antonio Galloni 97+ Antonio Galloni 2019 - 2039 $179.00 Dec 2012

Rating

99

Release Price

$165

Drink Date

2016 - 2046

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Aug 2016

Source

226, The Wine Advocate

With the lowest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in of any of the wines from this vertical, the 2012 final blend was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Production across the board in 2012 was high, and reflected in the 3,977 cases made at Spottswoode. This is a dramatic, flamboyant, modern-day version of the 2002. Dramatic blueberry, black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, along with camphor, charcoal, white flowers and foresty notes all emerge from the impressive aromatics that soar from the glass. The intense, explosively rich, full-bodied palate is layered with beautiful purity, stunningly sweet, silky tannins and terrific presence and complexity. This is a gorgeous wine on a relatively fast evolutionary track, I suspect, but certainly it has 30 years of upside left.

Rating

94+

Release Price

$95

Drink Date

2014 - 2029

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2014

Source

215, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of crème de cassis, licorice, mulberries and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied and elegant, it cuts a broad swath between a great Médoc and a Napa Valley Cabernet. There is still some tannin to shed, should be at its peak in 4-5 years, and drink well for 20-25 years.

ating

96

Release Price

$240

Drink Date

2015 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2015

Source

221, The Wine Advocate

The flagship wine of the estate in reds is their Insignia, which has been one of the great Bordeaux blends made in California since the debut vintage in 1974. It usually has 30+ years aging potential, even in lighter vintages, of which the 2012, 2013 and 2014 are decidedly not. The 2012 Proprietary Red Insignia, a final blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and the rest Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc all from estate vineyards, was aged 24 months in 100% new French oak. There are 15,000 cases of it, and it’s a fabulous, classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of lead pencil shavings, incense, camphor, blackberry and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied, offering a multi-layered, textural, skyscraper-like mouthfeel, terrific purity, density and richness. All of this is achieved without a sense of heaviness or anything aggressive. This is a beauty to drink now and over the next 30 years.

Shafer’s flagship wine, and one of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignons, is the Hillside Select, which comes from the rocky, volcanic soils on hillsides above the winery. Vineyard production is small, and the wine an incredible example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in 100% new oak for 32 months and bottled unfiltered, this can generally be expected to be one of the top dozen or so Cabernet Sauvignons in virtually any vintage in Napa, and certainly possesses 25 to possibly 50 years of aging potential. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is a perfect wine. It elicits more than a few “wows” when you smell the incredible notes of charcoal, graphite and subtle toast, buttressed and dominated by blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit. The purity of these fruits, the multidimensional mouthfeel, the seamless integration of acid, alcohol, tannin and wood are all flawless. The 2012 signature adds an extravagant opulence and density that is just mind-boggling, and the wine is a total hedonistic and intellectual turn-on already, although it has 30+ years of life ahead of it.

Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (227), October 2016

Rating

95+

Release Price

$155

Drink Date

2018 - 2048

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Dec 2015

Source

222, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the To Kalon Vineyard celebrates the 50th anniversary of the great Robert Mondavi and his extraordinary vision to create something special in the heart of Napa Valley. A beautifully polished wine, with a dense ruby/purple color, it is still tightly knit and showing high-quality oak. The wine is full-bodied and rich, with outstanding depth, ripeness and purity. There is plenty of backbone and tannin for 25-30 years of cellaring. The wine shows notes of chocolate and plenty of blackcurrant fruit and blackberry. This is a beauty and certainly a great reserve and worthy homage to the legendary Robert Mondavi. Give it another 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve comes across as quite restrained today, with most of its power lurking in the background. There is no shortage of depth or intensity, though. Hints of iron, smoke, leather and savory herbs open up gradually, but the 2013 needs at least a few years to uncoil and will drink well for another two decades or so beyond that. This is an especially refined expression of the famed To-Kalon vineyard.

-- Antonio Galloni 95 Antonio Galloni 2023 - 2043 $155.00 Oct 2015

The 2013 Insignia (their 40th vintage) is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. This wine is aged 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels, and the production can vary from just over 10,000 cases to nearly 20,000 cases in a very abundant vintage. There were 12,300 cases produced in 2013, and this vintage of Insignia is certainly going to turn out to be one of the great ones. The wine offers a stunning inky blue/purple color, a gorgeous nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, pen ink, graphite, new saddle leather and barrique. The wine has fabulous concentration, a full-bodied, multi-layered mouthfeel, and tremendous finish with moderate tannin. It’s interesting to note that the Phelps winemaking staff had been gradually reducing the amount of Merlot in this wine over recent vintages. The 2013 should hit its peak in 5-7 years and last for 35-50.

Score: 98+Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (227), October 2016

The 2013 La Muse is wonderfully vivid and expressive from the outset, especially in the aromatics. Graphite, smoke, lavender, menthol and licorice are all super-expressive. Those notes carry through to the palate, where the wine is dense, powerful and bursting at the seams with energy. Hints of mocha, chocolate, spice and leather add the final shades of nuance. Today, La Muse is the most expressive of Vérité's 2013s, with plenty of floral and savory notes that add complexity to the super-rich dark fruit. I tasted the 2013 from tank just prior to bottling.

-- Antonio Galloni (92-95) Antonio Galloni 2020 - 2033 $390.00 Feb 2016

Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2013 La Joie is dense, powerful and rich, with notable depth. Still remarkable embryonic the 2013 remains deep, fruit driven and backward. This is a wine for the long haul. Crème de cassis, blackberry jam, spice, menthol, game, licorice and smoke flow through to the powerful, incisive finish. This is a strong showing.

-- Antonio Galloni (93-96) Antonio Galloni $390.00 Feb 2016