2010 Proprietary Red, Paradise Hills Vineyard

Blankiet's 2010 Proprietary Red is sleek, subtle and beautifully nuanced throughout. The flavors are dark, ripe and intense, yet there are lovely floral, spice and mineral veins running through the fruit that give the wine its sense of sophistication. One of the most understated wines of the night, the 2010 remains very young and in need of further time in bottle to develop the full breadth of its aromas and flavors. Nevertheless, today it is impressive, even if it is the first wine of the night.

The 2010 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard (84.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol; pH 3.8) is more reserved than the 2009, but it reveals enormous promise. A dense plum/purple color is accompanied by hints of charcoal embers, camphor, incense, licorice and exceptionally pure quantities of creme de cassis, blackberries and smoky barbecue. Deep with superb concentration and a massive mouthfeel, but no sense of heaviness or astringency, this exceptionally pure 2010 can be enjoyed over the next 25-30+ years. The Blankiet Estate owned by Claude and Katherine Blankiet is beautifully situated on the lower hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains, just behind the large Napanook estate of Dominus. An enviable group of talented people have provided assistance here, beginning with David Abreu, Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, followed by Michel Rolland, Martha McLellan, and more recently Denis Malbec. Production remains between 1,800 and 2,500 cases with nearly half of that devoted to their second wine, the Prince of Hearts. The other cuvees include the Proprietary Red (Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated) and the Rive Droite (a Pomerol / St.-Emilion look-a-like wine), and in 2012, they added a tiny, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee called Mythicus. I could be wrong, but it seems to me these wines, which performed very well, and are among the finest of the so-called “cult” wines of Napa Valley, remain under-the-radar. Perhaps that is due to the small production. The 2009s are all stunning. In the challenging 2011 vintage, the Blankiets along with their winemaker Denis Malbec have fashioned very good examples, although they are much lighter and less concentrated and authoritative than the top vintages. The 2012s are among the finest wines Blankiet has yet made. Tel. (707) 963-2001

(a Bordeaux blend based on 84% cabernet sauvignon): Good saturated bright ruby. Knockout perfume of cassis, graphite, violet, licorice, bitter chocolate and dusty brown spices, lifted by the compelling violet character of the site. Suave, fine-grained and energetic, with harmonious acidity giving brilliant definition to the dark raspberry, spice, mineral and menthol flavors. This juicy, classy wine is very young today but has the perfect balance for a graceful evolution in bottle. Very long on the ripely tannic aftertaste.