2012 REVIVAL NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON "Flavor is easy to achieve in Napa Valley Cabernet. Just let the grapes hang long enough, and you've got an explosion of black currants, cassis, blackberry jam, dark chocolate, black licorice. The trick is to achieve balance. This wine has, expertly. It's 100% Cab, grown south of Stags Leap...The wine shows beautifully balanced acidity, and the sturdy, firm tannins of Cabernet, but those tannins are melted and ripe and sweet and utterly delicious. The wine was aged in 100% new French oak, which would swamp many Cabernets, but not this one. It's big enough to stand up to that wood, which brings added layers of richness: vanilla bean, buttered cinnamon toast, sweet wood smoke. With alcohol of 14.8%, it's certainly made in a riper style, yet there's a touch of green olive that brings a salty, umami savoriness. The finish is very long, rich in exotic spices and a reprise of blackberries, but dry and elegant. What a great wine. Glorious and sophisticated. I can't think of any reason not to drink it now, it's so good, but it should have a grand future over the next six years." 97 Points