Taste: Black wine with purple rim. Toasty oak, chocolate and cassis on the nose with an ethereal entry of highly structured fruit. Obviously this is mountain grown, elevation fruit. Sweet black tea, mocha, and berry notes are feathered in with smooth tannins and cigar smoke. This wine is full bodied but much more sprightly on its feet than, say, Lot 82 Napa Valley Cabernet, which is dense with fruit sweetness. Here, the tannic structure is more akin to a fine Barolo with its slightly lighter color but fantastic structure. Again, iron fist/velvet glove is a great descriptor here. Extremely refined cabernet here and in need of decanting for sure. Of course, this wine will improve beautifully in the bottle over the next 10-15 years.
Cameron Confidential: Like Lot 82, I have no idea where this wine originated other than it’s from the Spring Mountain Distinct of Napa Valley. Again, I got it from a guy who got it from a guy. This wine is superior to Lot 33 2005 Spring Mountain Cabernet both in terms of its openness and prevalent new oak. Clearly one of the best cabernets we have ever released and, like Lot 82, just a baby.
