It’s not often that I see such an acid-driven Cabernet cross my desk. This is shimmering with acidity to a degree that the wine is totally backward at present. There is a little red fruit peeking out, but it’s going to take quite a while for this to resolve. Hints of menthol and dried herb. Hmm…I’ll leave this out overnight and come back to check its progress. UPDATE 1: After sitting overnight, this opened up considerably, with the fruit starting to shine out through the structure. Everything mentioned above is present and integrating nicely. UPDATE 2: My wife asked for a glass of red to accompany dinner 5 days past initial opening, and I still had this on the counter. I poured, sniffed, and tasted – this is really firing now, with no signs of oxidizing even after that amount of time sitting open. Clearly this will go long in your cellar, and you will be glad you have some kicking around. Great stuff! Contains 11% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Peterson Winery, Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
By Rich Cook