2015 HALL Cabernet Sauvignon Ellie's

Brought up in 70% new French oak, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Ellie's is beautiful and gets close to the elegance and purity of the top cuvees. Blackcurrants, cassis, spicy oak and licorice notes, as well as an impressive floral character, give way to a ripe, polished, beautifully concentrated Cabernet that's going to shine for two decades. One of the eye-opening tastings while working on this report was the lineup from Kathryn Hall’s estate located in St. Helena. There’s a wealth of wines here, yet they all have deep, concentrated, pure profiles as well as singular characters. You could pretty much randomly select from this lineup and be guaranteed to have a brilliant wine. Hats off to winemaker Steve Leveque. All the 2016s, and the majority of the 2015s, were tasted as barrel samples.