2013 Vineyard 29 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
(14.8% alcohol): Healthy dark ruby. Knockout aromas of medicinal black cherry, menthol and licorice complicated by a whiff of fruity cocoa powder and lifted by a violet topnote. Plush and compellingly fine-grained, with a sexy sweetness perfectly countered by savory soil tones. Impeccably balanced and alive for all its power and richness. The substantial chewy tannins arrive late and mount slowly, spreading out to saturate the entire palate and coat the incisors. There's something Merlot-like about this wine's rich, lush texture and chocolate/cocoa notes, so I wasn't surprised when Winemaker Emerson told me that 2% Merlot from Aida Vineyard was added to the blend. This may be the most complete vintage of Vineyard 29 made to date, and it appears to be built for a graceful evolution in bottle. Perhaps not coincidentally, the estate essentially discontinued the use of heavy-toast barrels as of vintage 2013.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Absolutely sublime is the blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon (from the Richard Grace clone of Cabernet) and 2% Merlot from the hillside vineyards, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate. There are 750 cases of this profound wine, which was aged in 85% new French oak for 20 months prior to being bottled and filtered. This was planted in 1989, so the vineyards are a quarter-century old. Opaque purple, with notes of creosote, incense, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, the wine has knockout ripeness, a multilayered, textured, full-bodied mouthfeel, but no hard edges, velvety tannin and a finish that goes on for a good 50+ seconds. This is the finest Cabernet Sauvignon ever to emerge from the 29 Estate and a credit to the proprietors Anne and Chuck McMinn. It should drink well for 30-35 years.
Dark, sumptuous and deeply expressive, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate possesses striking textural richness to balance some of the more overt notes in the glass. This full-throttle, intense Cabernet offers considerable near and medium term appeal, with a bit better balance than the Aida. Blackberry jam, mocha, chocolate and cloves flow through to the full-throttle finish.
Intense and powerful to the core, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate presents a distinctly vertical expression of fruit and structure. Graphite, crushed rocks, spices and new leather are laced into the a brilliant finish supported by firm yet well-integrated tannins. There is plenty of the estate's trademark richness, but there is also enough vibrancy to balance things out.