2013 Fairchild Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Las Piedras Vineyard
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Absolutely perfect is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1, which comes from the Beckstoffer/Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 80% new French oak for 20 months, the wine has that Mission Haut-Brion/Haut-Brion scorched-earth, gravelly, quarry-stone aromatics intermixed with blueberry, cassis and spring flowers. It is full-bodied with magnificent texture and concentration, stunning freshness, and a terrific finish that goes on for close to a minute. This is surreal and compelling Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 30+ years.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1, from the famous Las Piedras vineyard in St. Helena, opens with exquisite aromatics. Silky, nuanced and polished to the core, the 2013 shows the more finessed side of this site. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, mint and sweet spices are laced into the super-expressive finish. The minerality of Piedras comes through most clearly on the finish. Still, it would be nice to see more site specificity here.
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones #1 is powerful and also incredibly primary in its flavors. Graphite, chalk, smoke and a host of mineral-infused notes give the wine its sense of energy. There is plenty of richness in the fruit, with blue/blackish overtones that dominate, but the 2013 comes across as raw and not fully formed. This embryonic wine needs time. The only question is how much.