2012 The Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch is plump, racy and intense to the core. Dark red cherries, plums, clove and new leather blossom in an explosive, resonant Cabernet Sauvignon built on pure texture. Interestingly, in 2012 Snowden did not bottle their Reserve, so all the best fruit went into the Ranch, a wine that delivers considerable value by Napa Valley standards. Healthy dollops of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot round out the blend.

The two bigger red wines are the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch and, as Scott Snowden said, there wasn’t enough difference between this cuvée to justify a Reserve. Elegant red and black currant fruit with dusty loamy soils notes, a hint of coffee beans and subtle background oak are all present in this deep, medium to full-bodied, stylish wine that seems to want to behave like a French Bordeaux, but clearly has the ripeness and flesh of Napa.

(all but one barrel is from the Brothers vineyard): Dark ruby-red. Medicinal black cherry, blackberry, menthol and minerals on the nose, plus notes of tobacco and loam. Supple and sweet, with flavors of plum, raspberry, truffle and dusty earth accented by cedar and herbs. Finishes with slightly dusty tannins and warm spices.