2011 Morlet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Another gorgeous wine from this fabulous estate, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate comes from the estate, which lies just south of St. Helena. It's a beautifully mature yet still lively, rich, and concentrated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offering a dense plum/ruby hue, loads of rich red and black currant fruits, full-bodied richness, a rounded, meaty, structured, mouthfeel, and classy notes of iron, smoked herbs, dark chocolate, and earth. It's fully mature yet has a solid decade of longevity ahead of it. This is one of those wines that offers impressive richness and depth with a weightless, elegant style.

(made from Morlet's new property on the hillside west of Highway 29, north of St. Helena): Saturated bright ruby-red. Pungent aromas of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, violet and dusty spices. Juicy, dense and sharply delineated, offering serious intensity to its dark berry, licorice and mineral flavors. Youthfully tight today but the tannins are silky and suave. This fruit was picked at the end of September, before the heavy rains, noted Morlet, who had thinned the crop load to one cluster per shoot. A stunning debut for this bottling.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from their home vineyard near such prestigious sites as Colgin’s Tychson Hill, the Grace Family Vineyard and Vineyard 29. Produced from a hillside vineyard with volcanic ash soils, and aged completely in Darnajou barrels, it exhibits terrific fruit (supple blackberry and black currant) for a 2011 as well as hints of licorice, subtle smoke and lead pencil shavings. Surprisingly rich, intense and opulent, it can be enjoyed over the next decade. The Morlet brothers, Nick, who works at Peter Michael Winery and Luc, who has his own family estate and also works as a consultant, are two of the hot commodities in northern California, both producing world class wines. From fruit purchased from some of the finest Napa Valley vineyards, the Morlet Family Vineyards is making some of the most exciting wines of the region. The Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees range in production from 200 to 1,200 cases, and their newest project, a mindboggling 2012 Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature is likely to be a game changer once it’s released. The 2012s appear to be spectacular efforts. Kudos to Morlet Family Vineyards! Tel. (707) 967-8690