2012 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard

The perfect 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot aged 20 months in 100% new French oak. I think this is the third perfect score I’ve given to this wine, which is the essence of their vineyard, representing about 13% of the total production, or a mere 320 cases. The wine has a gorgeously opaque purple color and a beautiful nose of camphor, charcoal, blackberry and creme de cassis with licorice and truffle. It has unbelievable richness, great texture, tremendous finesse, precision and delineation. Very intense, full-bodied and super-pure, the length of the wine must be at least 50+ seconds. This is a gorgeous wine and one of the great superstars of this fabulous vintage. Drink it over the next 25-30 years.

The 2012 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard, which is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot aged in a combination of mostly new French oak, but some Hungarian oak as well, represents 1,190 cases, or 50% of the production from their estate vineyard. This wine shows beautiful floral notes along with hints of earth, chocolate, espresso, licorice and blackcurrants. It is elegant, medium to full-bodied, with impressive purity, texture and length. The wine shows relatively sweet tannin, but then so do most of the top 2012s. It should drink nicely for 15-20 more years.

A dark, powerful wine, the 2012 Estate Cuvée possesses gorgeous depth and textural richness. Open and large on the palate, the 2012 delivers plenty of pleasure today. Next to the best wines from the estate, the 2012 Estate Cuvée lacks a touch of freshness - especially in its aromatics - but it is incredibly appealing today. My sense is that the 2012 is going through a period of dullness, as the bouquet is not as expressive as it has been in the past. A closing note of rose petal and mint adds the final layer of nuance. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot.