2012 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon

(includes 5% Cabernet Franc; aged in 100% new oak for 26 months): Good moderately saturated red-ruby color. Old-World aromas of currant, black tea, cedar and tobacco leaf; a bit herbal and peppery from the addition of Cab Franc. Boasts lovely texture and grain, along with good energy in the mouth, but comes across as quite oaky. Today this juicy midweight's fruit is a bit dulled by substantial oak-driven tannins. The team did a good bit of saigneé to concentrate the wine but today the whole is less than the sum of its parts. For this bottling, Kent uses the the top barrel selection of Sylvain, which he says is roughly equivalent in quality to the very expensive T5 barrel from Taransaud.