2012 Kongsgaard Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich, sumptuous and beautifully textured in the glass, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific example of the year. Dark red cherry, cinnamon, cedar and tobacco open up in the glass, but the 2012 is above all else a wine of pure texture. The 2012 finishes with notable intensity and power, but next to the 2013...well, let's just say the younger vintage is on a different level, at least today.

Aged in Darnajou barrels, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is filled with lavish, extroverted scents of sweet vanillin, lead pencil shavings, blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and camphor. This gorgeous effort is very much in keeping with this showy, ostentatious vintage. Drink now through 2030.

Deep, saturated ruby. Very dark aromas of blueberry, espresso, bitter chocolate and black licorice. Big, broad and generous, conveying a strong impression of sucrosite to its complex, deep flavors of black fruits, graphite, sassafras and spices. This makes the 2011 look lean by comparison. Most intriguing on the back end, which features broad, ripe tannins, suggestions of violet and forest floor and a hint of sea salt.