2003 Sloan Proprietary Red

Bright, saturated ruby. Complex, superripe nose hints at chocolate, smoke, dried herbs, soy sauce and leather, along with a dried fruit character suggesting some surmaturite Rich, broad and fine-grained, but much less sweet than the 2002. A firm spine of acidity gives this structured wine a slightly spiky quality today. Finishes with granular, tongue-dusting tannins that are less pliant than those of the 2002.

The 20003 was made by Martha McClellan and the viticulture looked over by David Abreu. The 2003 Sloan, if slightly less prodigious than the perfect 2002, remains a young wine. Notes of vanillin, espresso roast, blackberries, scorched earth, camphor and hints of charcoal and barbecue meat jump from the glass of this spicy, rich, provocative Cabernet Sauvignon. With a full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin and adequate acidity, the blend includes 14% Cabernet Franc and 86% Cabernet Sauvignon from this extraordinary hillside vineyard above Auberge de Soleil in mid-Napa Valley. This wine is 2-5 years away from full maturity, and should last for another decade. Jun 2013, www.robertparker.com