2015 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard

Moving to the 2015s and pure perfection is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard. Made from 100% Cabernet aged in 90% new French oak, this blockbuster offers up a huge nose of blackcurrants, espresso, scorched earth, liquid violets and graphite. With a massive amount of fruit, full-bodied richness, and incredible tannin quality, this beauty glides over the palate and is a sensational, heavenly red that needs short-term cellaring and will keep for 20-25 years. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown has hit a home run with latest releases from his Rivers Marie label, which is a collaboration with Genevieve Marie Welsh started in 2002. These are big, rich, concentrated wines, yet like everything Brown is involved with, the wines are pure, perfectly balanced, and have a seamless texture that can be hard to describe. And as Napa Valley wines goes, these remain reasonably priced and should be snatched up by readers.

Deep purple-black colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard has a wonderfully expressive, savory nose of char-grilled meat, truffles, sautéed herbs and Bovril with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry tart, menthol, mocha and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate simply sings with intense black fruits accented with loads of savory layers, framed by grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with epic length. 232 cases produced.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lore Vineyard is a big, vivid wine. A host of graphite, smoke, incense, menthol and black stone fruit inflections fill out the wine's structured frame. Once again, the Lore is shaping up to be terrific.