2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A ripe and sexy red with blueberry, tile, smoked meat, walnut shell, and terracotta aromas that follow through a full body, velvety tannins and a savory finish. Turns to sage and rosemary. Soulful.

A beautiful wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and the rest tiny proportions of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. Opaque ruby/purple with beautiful blueberry and black raspberry fruit moving toward cassis on the palate, it is plush, medium to full-bodied, well-delineated, juicy and succulent. This is another terrific 2013. This one was aged 22 months in barrel, but 60% was new oak, and it was never fined prior to bottling. It should drink well for 15 or more years.

A totally dazzling wine, Ric Forman's 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Today, the 2013 is dense, powerful and explosive, with fabulous energy and tons of sheer intensity. Graphite, smoke, tobacco and layers of dark-fleshed fruit all open up in the glass. This is the first vintage to incorporate a dollop of Malbec. The 2013 has just been bottled. I will not be surprised at all if it merits a higher rating at some point in the future. Even better from bottle than it was from barrel, Ric Forman's 2013 is a super-classic, old-school Napa Cabernet to treasure for the next three decades. Best of all, Forman's Cabernet is probably the single greatest value in Napa Valley Cabernet.