2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Crossfire

Bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of blackberry, cassis, violet, licorice and minerals: the blackest to this point. Densely packed and vibrant, with firm, well-integrated acidity energizing the chewy flavors of blackberry, bitter chocolate, minerals and sexy oak. Finishes with dusty, serious yet suave tannins, attractive floral lift and slowly mounting length. Built to age. This is classically dry in a similar way to Maltus's Saint-Emilion wines.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Crossfire is sourced from the Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard located in the Oakville AVA. It possesses slightly more richness, texture and completeness than the Good Times, Bad Times. A deep purple color is followed by abundant notes of creme de cassis and flowers. This full-bodied wine touches all of the taster’s sweet spots. Enjoy it over the next 12-15 years. This is the North American Napa Valley outpost of Jonathan Maltus, who has a splendid reputation for his high quality offerings from St.-Emilion. This is my first look at his Napa bottlings, all of which take famous rock and roll songs as their names. Tel. (262) 246-3023