2019 L'Aventure Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Lots of black ink, blueberries, blackberries and pine needles on the nose. Full-bodied and creamy with loads of fruit and velvety tannins. Pure fruit. This is very solid. Round tannins with a fresh undertone. 95% cabernet sauvignon and 5% petite verdot. This needs three to five years of softening. Try after 2027.

Blended with 5% Petit Verdot and matured in 80% new oak, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is ultra classy and very well-structured. Deep ruby-purple, it offers very pure black and red currants, licorice, dried roses and bouquet garni aromas, underpinned by subtle nuances of graphite and youthful oak spices. The medium-bodied palate boasts melting, chocolate-textured tannins, fresh acidity and notable fruit intensity, finishing very long and mineral-driven. This alluring, balanced Cabernet Sauvignon has a long life ahead in bottle.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve checks in as 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot that was aged 15 months in new barrels. It’s another seamless, incredibly pure, focused expression of this variety that will stand up to any Cabernet out there. Lots of crème de cassis, lead pencil, sweet tobacco, and chalky minerality all flow to a full-bodied red with ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, and I suspect it won’t hit its early stages of maturity until after a solid decade. Stephan Asseo, who’s assisted more and more by assistant winemaker Patrick Davies, continues to keep his L’Aventure estate near the top of the pyramid in Paso Robles. This report looks at the 2019s and 2020s, and both appear to be beautiful vintages. The 2019s are some of the finest wines I’ve tasted at this estate and have a rare mix of power and vibrancy, with incredible aromatics and sensational purity and precision on the palate.