2020 Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis
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Tasting notes
96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Harvest 15 September to 21 October. This is very sweet on the nose, with tones of dried apricots and marmalade together with cassis. The palate follows in the same tone, rounded and slightly candied with more apricot jam together with jammy black fruit. This is slightly overloaded and warm on the finish. (TP)
Critic scores
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
As ever with Au Paradis, the intensity and muscular impact is turned up higher than Les Pavots. Dripping with damson, black cherry, cocoa bean and rich dark chocolate, intense spice and crushed graphite, you are right in the heart of Oakville Cabernet territory with this wine, supple but unmistakably tannic backbone, with a trace of heat on the finish. Confident and dramatic, it needs a few years in bottle. For me the 2019 is still the one to beat in recent vintages. 100% new oak, Luc Morlet consultant.
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is a powerful wine, its mid-weight structure notwithstanding. There's good depth to the ripe dark plum, blackberry and chocolate flavors. The aromatics aren't quite as focused as they usually are, but all things considered, this is a very good wine in a highly challenging year. About 40% of the wines were discarded, including much of the Franc, which is quite low in this vintage.
Pouring an opaque red, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is lush and refined with aromas of cassis, espresso, violets, and sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, this refined profile continues on the palate, with a ripe, velvety texture, fine tannins, and notes of black cherry liqueur and mocha, as well as floral oils that last long on the palate without feeling heavy. Drink 2025-2045. Sir Peter Michael founded his eponymous winery in 1982, inspired by the wine of Chateau Montelena, which led him to California. In 2020, Robert Fiore took the helm as winemaker, while former winemaker Luc Morlet remains as a consultant. Robert studied at the Colorado School of Mines, which led him to a career in environmental geophysics before finding his path into the world of wine. He went on to UC Davis to study Viticulture and Enology. Most recently, Robert was a member of the winemaking team at Continuum in Napa. Vineyard manager Javier Avina has championed the land since 1991. Each of the sites are steep hillsides in Knights Valley that modulate with varied exposition and soils. Sir Peter’s son Paul and his wife Emily oversee the management of the winery today.
About the producer
Founded in 1983 by Sir Peter Michael CBE and his wife Margaret, Peter Michael Winery produces some of California’s finest wines.