2011 Blankiet Estate Paradise Hills Vineyard Red

(a Bordeaux blend based on 81% cabernet sauvignon): Deep ruby-red. Black cherry and licorice on the discreet, pure nose. Densely packed , spicy and rich; not especially broad on the palate but boasts superb concentration for the vintage and a sappy impression of dry extract. The black cherry and dark berry flavors are lifted by a floral element. Serious, youthfully tough tannins will require at least five years of cellaring.

The 2011 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard (81.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16.5% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along with sweet aromas of black currants, licorice, tobacco leaf and dusty, loamy soil notes. Medium-bodied and rich, it should drink well early on and last for 10-12 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

(based on 81% cabernet sauvignon): Good, bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, licorice, menthol and bitter chocolate show a slightly grapey medicinal reserve and a whiff of resiny herbs. Silky and intensely flavored, with distinctly purple flavors currently dominated by a strong spine of acidity. Very structured wine with excellent inner-mouth tension and no easy sweetness. This seemed to shut down in my glass. I would not be surprised if the wine put on weight during its final months in barrel.