2019 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Tasting notes
Savory aromas of mulberries, cassia bark, graphite and leather. The palate is full-bodied with silky smooth tannins and balanced acidity, giving notes of blackcurrants, dried herbs and mocha. Wonderfully integrated and soft, with a serious undertone
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Largely Howell Mountain-derived this vintage, Dunn's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 22% of the volume coming from Coombsville. It has only 13.7% alcohol, yet it comes across as rather forward (for Dunn), with slightly liquorous notions of crème de cassis on the nose and a deceptively supple, silky finish. I wouldn't dare call a Dunn wine plush, but this comes close.
I loved the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which I think is a step up over the 2018, although both 2019s show a much more elegant profile. Ripe currants, plums, roasted herbs, violets, and incense notes all shine in this medium to full-bodied, ripe, supple, layered beauty, which has fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15 years.
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a powerful, tannic wine. In some vintages, the Napa Valley bottling is quite accessible, but not here. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit, gravel, spice, dried flowers, lavender and charred earth are pushed forward, with firm, chocolatey tannins that wrap it all together. This brooding, potent Cabernet needs at least a few years to settle. 93+