2017 Futo OV-SL

The 2017 Futo OV SL is a dense, powerful wine. This vintage is decidedly brooding in style, with more virile intensity than in the past and less of the sensuality that is typically known to be a signature here. In particular, the tannins are coarse, which gives the wine a rough-around-the-edges feel. In recent years, the OV SL has approached the level of the dual flagships, but this is not true of the 2017 vintage, which has firmed up a bit during aging. Perhaps that is a result of its recent bottling. It will be interesting to see what happens with a bit more time in bottle.

The 2017 OV SL is soft, pliant and accessible, with pretty cedar and tobacco notes that add aromatic nuance to a core of bright red cherry fruit. Hints of iron, mint, new leather and spice develop in the glass. The 2017 is medium in body and succulent, and yet it also has plenty of vibrancy to back things up.

The OV/SL is a blend of fruit from Futo's two estate properties in Stags Leap and Oakville. The first vintage of this wine was 2012. Picking in 2017 started in August and went on through Labor Day weekend. Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Proprietary Red OV/SL gives up notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, redcurrants and black raspberries with hints of pencil lead, cedar chest and menthol plus a faint hit of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals wonderfully vibrant, energetic fruit with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and mineral laced.