2016 Sloan Proprietary Red

The 2016 Sloan is dazzling. Soft and unctuous with no hard edges, the 2016 Sloan is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Sweet red plum, blood orange, spice, menthol and licorice are all melded together in a gorgeous, racy Cabernet Sauvignon that hits all the right notes. Unlike most top 2016s, Sloan can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, although its true potential will only be unlocked with at least a few years in bottle. Spice, star anise, pomegranate and sweet red cherry overtones add an exotic flair.

Enormously deep nose with an entire spectrum of black and blue fruit, plus notes of second-flush Darjeeling and mint. Widescreen Napa cabernet with a pronounced licorice note that’s not in the nose. Beautifully integrated, powdery tannins that almost perfectly support the lavish body. Long, plush and graceful finish. You could drink it on release, but this has great aging potential.

The 2016 Sloan is a dark, brooding wine endowed with serious intensity. A rush of black cherry, espresso, licorice, plum, chocolate and mocha builds as this dense, potent Cabernet Sauvignon starts to blossom in the glass. The balance of fruit, acid and structural underpinning is simply brilliant. Quite frankly, I don't remember tasting a young vintage of Sloan with this much finesse.