Carruth Cellars, Alexander Valley (Sonoma County, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

 According to the copy on the back of this big, heavy bottle, this wine resulted from an emergency picking of the remaining fruit from Reynoso Vineyards ahead of the Kincade Fire on October 23.  That’s pretty late in the growing season, and the finished alcohol in this is stated at 15.9%, so there’s no reason to think the fire made for premature picking — however lamentable the fire itself surely was.  Inky in appearance and very dense in physical terms, this delivers a big wallop of blackberry and black currant fruit as soon as it hits one’s tongue.  The flavors stay symmetrical and strong through the finish.  Interestingly, however, there’s still a whiff of dried herbs and autumn leaves that keeps this reminiscent of Cabernet rather than coming off as a fruit bomb.  Impressive Cabernet that was evidently impressively sourced.