1996 Venge Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve

This is a dazzling effort. It possesses over 14% alcohol, and is highly-extracted as well as wooded as it was aged in 100% new French oak. Exceptionally dense, it offers formidable quantities of black fruits, smoky oak, and licorice, awesome purity, and layers of extract. Its finish exceeds 30 seconds. My best guess for this unevolved, backward Cabernet is that it will require 3-5 years of cellaring, but will last for 2-3 decades. It is a remarkably intense, hugely concentrated wine exhibiting the tell-tale Nils Venge style of viscous cassis/blackberry fruit crammed into a flamboyantly oaked, powerhouse, ageworthy personality. Tel. (707) 944-1304; Fax (707) 944-1325