2016 Va Piano Cabernet Sauvignon Rosebud Black Label
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosebud Vineyard (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot brought up in 80% new French oak) is a little bloody and meaty, with darker notes of blueberries, damp earth, lavender, and violets. It shows beautiful fruit on the palate and is medium to full-bodied, with terrific density and depth, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a rounded, balanced, complete wine that has enough fruit and texture to shine today, but it deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and will keep for two decades. Winemaker Justin Wylie has pretty much knocked it out of the park with these latest 2016s and there are the finest set of releases I’ve tasted from Va Piano.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
(from vines planted in the late '70s and early '80s): Full red-ruby. More expressive on the nose at present than the DuBrul Cabernet, offering aromas of plum, currant, mocha, spices and dried flowers. Plusher and finer-grained on the palate, with its brisk boysenberry and blueberry flavors complemented by soil-inflected notes of earth, wild herbs and dried flowers. More harmonious than the DuBrul, this wine ultimately delivers enticing subtle sweetness along with a major dose of chocolatey oak. Finishes with tongue-dusting tannins, a slight herbal dryness and very good length. This fruit was harvested into November in 2016.