Just when I thought I was finished talking about the red wines that managed to succeed despite the difficult 2011 vintage, this beauty comes across my desk. Duckhorn and Sterling made the Three Palms Vineyard famous for Merlot, and this bottle suggests a great reputation is afoot for Cabernet as well. It’s a beautifully structured wine, with firm grip, lively black, blue and red fruit and layers of olive, stony minerality, faint dried herbs and saddle. Give this a long decant to fully appreciate it, or age it up to 15 years. Considering Duckhorn’s recent purchase of this property, I’d say you can expect great things in the future!
Duckhorn, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
By Rich Cook