2012 Alpha Omega Era

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon ERA is Alpha Omega's top bottling. As good as it is, I personally find the vineyard designate Cabernets more compelling. Still, there is no denying the wine's beauty. A dark, fleshy, sumptuous Cabernet, the 2012 ERA builds through the mid-palate and finish, showing gorgeous depth and resonance. Dark red and black fruit, smoke, incense, tobacco and iron add the final layers of complexity before a huge swath of tannins makes it clear readers will have to be patient.

Alpha Omega's flagship wine, the 2012 Proprietary Red Blend ERA, fashioned from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, flirts with perfection. Its inky/purple color is followed by notes of incense, camphor, melted licorice, blackberry and cassis fruit. Super-concentrated with no hard edges, this is a seamless, complex, compelling Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine with exquisite ripeness, purity and texture. It should drink well for 15-20 years.