Mount Eden Estate Cabernet, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA

One of the finest vintages of this cuvée I’ve tasted, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a thrill a minute with its fabulous bouquet of crème de cassis, charcoal embers, spice, and subtle vanilla oak aromas and flavors. Possessing medium to full body, an incredibly layered, seamless texture, moderate acidity, and present, ripe tannins, it has some upfront charm given its purity of fruit and texture, but deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and is going to keep for two decades. This beauty rivals Ridge’s Monte Bello