2013 HALL Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz

The last Hall wine I saw from bottle was the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Exzellenz. This hails from the foothills of Rutherford and refers to Kathryn Hall’s ambassadorship to Austria between 1997 and 2001. A prodigious wine with beautiful floral notes intermingled with blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry and graphite, the wine hits the palate with a full-bodied force, but nothing seems pushed, cloying or out of sync. Gorgeously pure blue and black fruits cascade over the palate, a full-bodied presentation with remarkable purity and complexity. The finish is a good 45-50 seconds, and while there is significant tannin, the extravagance of the fruit and glycerin generally conceal it. This is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind, world class Cabernet Sauvignon that should prove compelling for at least another 30-40+ years. While an old geezer like me could commit infanticide and drink it now, most more rational and intelligent people should give this wine 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following half-century or so.