2016 Zeitgeist Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard

One of the finest wines I was able to taste from this up and coming vineyard outside of Yountville, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady is all Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon (there’s a splash of Cabernet Franc in there as well) aged 22 months in barrel. A majestic, seamless wine, with tons of liquid violets, lead pencil shavings, rocky minerality, and crème de cassis, it hits the palate with awesome purity of fruit, sweet tannins, and a finish that leaves you looking for another glass. Despite its purity of fruit and balance, it has enough tannins to warrant 2-4 years or bottle age and will keep for 20+ years.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady is sumptuous, racy and enveloping. The darker side of Sleeping Lady comes through in this decidedly potent, structured Cabernet. Most Sleeping Lady Cabernets lean towards the silkier side of things, but the Zeitgeist wine is quite brooding, with plenty of dark fruit and generous menthol, licorice and leather accents.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. It has a deep purple-black color and wonderfully floral notes of potpourri and violets over a core of crushed blackberries and black cherries, with nuances of spearmint and black tea plus a waft of unsmoked cigars. The palate is full, rich, concentrated and super firm with wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins, packing in the earthy layers and finishing long. 126 cases produced, to be released in the fall of 2019.