2016 J Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Saturated dark ruby. Very pure but reticent aromas of blackberry, licorice, spices and minerals, complicated by whiffs of violet and leather and a faint medicinal quality. Utterly silky, sweet and fresh on the palate, showing near-perfect balance from the outset. This wonderfully generous fruit bomb is still an infant and yet is a treat to taste today owing to its compelling sweetness and glossy texture. Hints of graphite and warm loam add interest as the wine opens in the glass. Robin Lail describes this wine as "a combination of the opulence of the 2012 and the structure of the '13," while general manager Michael Updegraff says it's "like Cabernet candy." Finishes with substantial fine-grained, horizontal tannins and outstanding breadth and length. A brilliant wine for a drought year; in fact, Lail's string of J. Daniel releases from California's five years of drought (2012 through 2016) represent a new level of excellence for this winery.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Love the green olives, blackberries and sweet tobacco. Hints of walnuts and wet earth. Full-bodied yet reserved and very tight with beautiful richness and focus. Dense and exciting. A blend of Oakville and Howell Mountain. Great Napa cab. Try after 2022.
The flagship 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee takes things up to whole other level and is a thrill a minute. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Mole Hill, Vine Hill Ranch, and Heimark vineyards that spent 20 months in 75% new oak, it sports a deep purple color as well as a spectacular bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, graphite, and spicy oak. Possessing incredible purity, full-bodied richness, building structure, and a big finish, it’s a quintessential, age-worthy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I suspect will require more than a decade to hit prime time and will keep for 3+ decades. Bravo!
Lail's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon John Daniel Cuvée is absolutely fabulous. Dark, powerful and brooding, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon John Daniel Cuvée offers superb intensity and richness in all of its dimensions. Black cherry, plum, graphite, smoke, licorice and dark spice add to an impression of gravitas and pure, brooding power. Game, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs, gravel and scorched earth undertones add the closing shades of nuance. Vineyard sources are Heimark, Vine Hill Ranch and Mole Hill.