2022 IX Proprietary Red Wine

I’m speechless about this one. It’s a wine that makes you think of other great, classic wines. It’s full-bodied and tannic, with the intensity that Napa wines achieve in hot vintages, yet it remains tense and blue-fruited, showing that it’s a mountain red that was not affected by the extreme weather of the vintage. There are flavors of menthol and fresh thyme in the finish. A beguiling wine. A blend of about 70% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc and some merlot and petit verdot. Drink after 2030, but exciting to taste now to understand its greatness.

From the estate vineyard that sees slightly lower daytime highs yet warmer nights, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon IX Estate is another deeply hued 2022 from this team that has so much to love. Red and black cherries, roasted herbs, licorice crushed stone, and graphite are just some of the nuances in this incredible Cabernet. With full-bodied richness, a deep, layered style, and just about flawless tannins, it will be accessible with just short-term cellaring yet still have two decades of longevity.

The 2022 IX Estate opens with captivating aromatics. Cedar, tobacco, dried flowers, espresso, Mediterranean herbs and leather race across the palate. Vibrant and sculpted, the IX Estate is incredibly reticent at this stage. That should not be an issue in another few years' time. Like all the wines here in 2022, the IX Estate is on the understated side relative to most years. It could very well be one of the wines of the vintage.