2015 5500 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine comes from a vineyard planted in 1986 at 150 to 300 feet in elevation. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon 5500 is blended of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals bold, expressive blackberry preserves, blackcurrant cordial and baked redcurrants scents with a beautiful undercurrent of rose petals, lilacs, black tea and chocolate mint with a waft of fertile loam. Full-bodied, concentrated and laden with red and black fruit layers, it has a firm, finely grained frame and wonderful freshness lifting the mineral nuances to a long finish. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered; 359 cases were made.

One of the wines of the vintage, Futo's 2015 5500 is dense, plush and super-concentrated. Layers of inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, menthol, white flowers and spice all woven together in this super-expressive, pliant Cabernet Sauvignon. Plush fruit and silky tannins add to the wine's considerable appeal. Even with all of its appeal, the 2015 has preserved terrific freshness and verve. This is a fabulous example of Stags Leap. The 2015 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, which is a little more Merlot than has been the norm in prior vintages.

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the otherworldly 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon 5500 comes from a single vineyard planted in an old quarry and was brought up in 65% new French oak barrels. It’s unquestionably one of the top wines in the vintage and offers heavenly notes of crème de cassis, salty minerality, spicy oak, black raspberries and dried flowers. This full-bodied, opulent, yet elegant 2015 has a huge mid-palate, building, sweet tannin, incredible purity of fruit, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s already impossible to resist but will keep for 25+ years. Located just across from Harlan Estate, on the western side of Oakville, Futo was created by Kansas natives Tom and Kyle Futo in 2002. The wines are made today by the young Jason Exposto and they release four Bordeaux blends, driven largely by the different terroirs they’re able to work with. These are singular, world-class wines that I wish every reader could taste. The 2015s are true blockbusters that share similarities to the 2012s (and maybe the 2007), and the 2016s show a similar level of depth, with perhaps slightly more purity.