2022 Cabernet Sauvignon / 91 Points / James Suckling

This immense wine is wrapped tightly in tannins, holding the black currant and black cherry flavors firmly in check while a drying sensation puckers the palate. It has good focus and concentration underneath all that, which bodes well for aging.

Notes of blackberries, savory herbs, red plum, baking spice, cedar, leather, underbrush, cocoa, oak and licorice. Slight tartness on the palate, more of a medium bodied mouthfeel to it despite its 14% ABV. Medium plus acidity, big tannins, slightly herbaceous finish. Stayed very consistent across 3 days while picking up a very attractive mint and savory herb note near the end, this wine is built to last so no rush to consume.

Deep garnet color and a lush nose of berry and oak. Smooth, juicy and tangy, with crisp berry flavors and bright acidity; long and charming.

This annual post looks back at all the wines I wrote about in the previous year and singles out 50 that I thought were great wines. “Great” doesn’t necessarily imply the most profound, though several of these are as profound as wine gets; nor does it necessarily mean that these are the world’s famed wines intended for laying down in cellars for long aging. I don’t usually encounter such wines anyway.

Showing a multifaceted bouquet of dark red fruit and earthy tobacco, the 2013 Cab is a bit lighter than the 2016 vintage, but it offers lots of sweet dark fruit flavors accompanied by notes of pepper and tobacco. There’s well integrated oak and a persistent finish with solid tannins. A great steak wine. 

Offering an earthy, herbal bouquet with black and red currant notes that carry over to the full bodied palate. There’s good acidity and freshness, nicely concentrated black currant and licorice flavors and well integrated oak. Finishes with fine, round tannins.