2013 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance is deep, powerful and unctuous. Red cherry jam, pomegranate, bittersweet chocolate, French oak, mint, licorice and rose petal notes infuse a rich, silky wine endowed with tremendous depth. The new French oak shapes the wine, but is also very nicely balanced. Unlike most 2013s, this flamboyant, opulent Cabernet Sauvignon will drink well with minimal cellaring, although it will certainly be more complex with time in bottle. In 2013, Piece de Resistance is mostly from Stagecoach, with a touch of fruit from Rancho Chimiles. (AG)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance is huge, opulent and massively constituted, with off-the-charts richness. There is no shortage of vintage 2013 tannin, but the fruit is so deep those tannins are barely noticeable. Raw, primary and intense, the 2013 is likely to require quite a bit of time to come together, but it is every bit as impressive as it was last year. Most of this fruit came from Stagecoach, and the wine was entirely fermented in barrel. Raspberry jam, mocha, black cherries and dark spices add the closing shades of nuance.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Piece de Resistance is a blend of the best four barrels in the cellar. Dark red and blue fruit, spices, leather, cloves and menthol wrap around the palate in a dark, voluptuous wine endowed with striking depth and texture. Today, the 2013 is holding back much of its ultimate potential, but its implosive energy is impossible to miss. The 2013 saw 45 days on the skins and will spend 30 months in barrel. It will be interesting to see how things develop in the coming years, but the future looks very bright.