2016 Sloan Estate
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Tasting notes
Moving to the grand vin, the 2016 Proprietary Red is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Tasting like a mix of the 2013 and 2014 with its incredible elegance and power, it reveals a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, crushed violets, lead pencil, and unsmoked tobacco. Ethereally textured, seamless, and full-bodied, it builds incrementally on the palate and is a monster of a wine that somehow stays light, graceful and elegant. It should hit maturity after a decade of cellaring and be a 40- to 50-year wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Sloan is dazzling. Soft and unctuous with no hard edges, the 2016 Sloan is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Sweet red plum, blood orange, spice, menthol and licorice are all melded together in a gorgeous, racy Cabernet Sauvignon that hits all the right notes. Unlike most top 2016s, Sloan can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, although its true potential will only be unlocked with at least a few years in bottle. Spice, star anise, pomegranate and sweet red cherry overtones add an exotic flair.
Enormously deep nose with an entire spectrum of black and blue fruit, plus notes of second-flush Darjeeling and mint. Widescreen Napa cabernet with a pronounced licorice note thatâs not in the nose. Beautifully integrated, powdery tannins that almost perfectly support the lavish body. Long, plush and graceful finish. You could drink it on release, but this has great aging potential.
The 2016 Sloan is a dark, brooding wine endowed with serious intensity. A rush of black cherry, espresso, licorice, plum, chocolate and mocha builds as this dense, potent Cabernet Sauvignon starts to blossom in the glass. The balance of fruit, acid and structural underpinning is simply brilliant. Quite frankly, I don't remember tasting a young vintage of Sloan with this much finesse.
About the producer
Sloan’s 13-acre estate vineyard, composed of mineral-rich, fractured volcanic rock and sandy loam, is located high in the eastern hills of Rutherford. Their inaugural vintage was 2000 and since it has grown a tremendous cult following for those lucky enough to get their hands on a few bottles.