2012 Tench Vineyard EE
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Tasting notes
Deep garnet, the 2012 Proprietary Red EE (a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc) is starting to evolve into beautiful tertiary characters—sautéed herbs, incense, new leather and cigar box—with a core of crème de cassis, dried mulberries and fruitcake. Medium to full-bodied, the palate still maintains a solid backbone of ripe, grainy tannins with loads of lingering exotic spice and dried mint nuances on the finish. 400 cases were made.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2012 EE Red Wine Blend brings together two first-class sites in Oakville, Tench and Tin Bos. Ripe, silky tannins grace the palate as this expressive, resonant wine opens up in the glass. Mocha, espresso, dark red cherries, plums and tobacco are all radiant and deeply nuance. The varietal blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc, and it is the Franc that really brings the aromatic fireworks. Hints of raspberry jam, white truffles and spices add the final notes of complexity.
The 2012 Red Wine EE is drop-dead gorgeous. Smoke, plums, mocha, licorice, new leather and tobacco all jump from the glass. The 2012 is rich, explosive and beautifully layered throughout, with exceptional balance and tons of personality. There is so much to look forward to here. This is a flat-out beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Russell Bevan.
The 2012 EE is composed of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It displays nearly overwhelming levels of creme de cassis, incense, charcoal and licorice as well as a long, full-bodied, exceptionally pure, layered mouthfeel. This is a sensational wine. I continue to be blown away by the wines from Russell Bevan and his partner, Victoria de Cresenzo. (I’ll save my reviews of the Bevan Cellars wines from Sonoma appellations for the December issue when I will be writing an extensive report on that viticultural area.) These are by no means shy wines, but their richness and complexity are remarkable. Despite their massive size, concentration and density, they reveal tremendous polish, finesse and elegance. I tasted five barrel samples of 2012s, and all of them were almost beyond belief in their richness, bombastic fruit and remarkable intensity and purity combined with amazing polish and delineation. Two cuvees that have the potential to merit perfect scores include the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Harbison Vineyard (300 cases produced) from Oakville and the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 6110 (225 cases) from Stags Leap. Tel. (707) 542-0123