Sullivan Rutherford Estate, Rutherford, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

 What I first liked about this wine was its just-poured aroma of cedar and graphite rather than oodles of fruit.  With time, the nose showed blueberry, dark plum and chocolate, but those fruity notes remained muted beneath the wine’s earthy notes — which, for me, is a positive trait, suggesting complexity and character.  This is a dry, full-bodied wine with generally soft tannins within a firm frame of oak and high alcohol.  Its flavors echo the aroma, introducing toast and smoke from the wine’s oak aging.  The wine’s texture is smooth and the fruit is not overripe.  At some point, the reality hit me: the famous “Rutherford dust” was the element providing the earthy, muting notes that I was tasting.  This character gives the wine specificity and carries it beyond many Napa Valley Cabs.