2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A regal wine, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has really shut down following its recent bottling, which is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects, although it does make the wine harder to read. Today, the 2016 is dark, powerful and quite savory, with tremendous persistence and class to burn. Translucent, deep and exquisitely layered, the 2016 has a lot to offer. Dark red cherry, plum, wild herb, cedar, tobacco and smoke build as the 2016 starts to open up in the glass. This is a jewel of a wine from the Togni family.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals a wonderfully spicy nose of cinnamon stick, cloves, fenugreek and cumin seed over a core of cassis, kirsch, black raspberries and spearmint with nuances of lavender and forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is laden with energetic red and black berry flavors, framed by ripe, finely grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Togni's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep, fleshy and quite powerful, with intense dark fruit and tons of concentration. Black cherry, plum, tobacco, licorice and menthol are all fused together. This is an unusually rich, unctuous wine for Togni. I tasted a representative blend from barrels that had been racked about ten days prior, which may explain the wine's shy, inward personality at this stage. Even so, the 2016 holds quite a bit of promise.