2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

The incredible 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot treated identically to the Reserve Claret (40% new French oak aged in wood for 22 months prior to bottling). There are nearly 1,500 cases of this wine, with 60% coming from the Sonoma side and 40% from Napa. An absolutely amazing nose of camphor, lead pencil shavings, blackberry and cassis, some new saddle leather, a touch of spicy oak followed by a profoundly concentrated, multi-dimensional mouthfeel with gorgeous integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. This is a fabulous, seamlessly constructed Cabernet Sauvignon to drink now and over the next 15+ years. Kudos to Pride!

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve wraps around the palate with serious depth and intensity. Huge, broad swaths of tannin provide the backbone. Dark and intense to the core, the 2012 possesses magnificent intensity as well as considerable structure. Readers will have to be patient, as the Reserve is not forthcoming today, especially within the context of the year. Pride fans won't want to miss the 2012, as it is superb.

(14.8% alcohol): Saturated bright ruby. Knockout nose combines crushed blackberry, blueberry, gingerbread, fresh nutmeg, chocolate, mocha and menthol. Almost painfully dense and youthfully shut-down today, in a closed stage just three months after its bottling. But this very powerful mountain Cabernet boasts highly concentrated dark berry and spicecake flavors and already hints at superb chocolatey depth. Finishes with very broad, serious, palate-saturating tannins and terrific length.