2012 North America

Reticent and tight at first on the nose, the wine opens up to reveal dark, small-berried cassis fruit, fruits of the forest and wet stone. The palate is the essence of power and elegance, like a giant slalom skier – elegant, suave in form, yet with great power and strength. The palate is full of minerality, with black and red fruit, and an iron or pepper-like spiciness. This has great acidity at the front and tensile tannins – ripe yet tight and huge, boding very well for its future development. One can almost see the remoteness and wildness of this unique vineyard, in terms of the wine’s strength and brooding darkness, yet at the same time an almost effortless, wistful, cerebral quality. For me, it has a distinct personality and sense of place, hints of Napa in the fruit and yet the structure reminded me of the strength and iron core so often found in the likes of Ch. Latour versus its other First Growth Bordeaux peers. Much like some of the world’s finest and most complex wines, this is a wine made on the edge of what is possible, truly expressive of its surroundings, opening and closing over its evolution, flirting with perfection. It’s something very special. It’ll be hard to resist over the next few years, but this has the stuffing to last very easily over the next decade or so. Drink 2027-35+.
Stuart Rae, Fine Wine Commercial Manager 

Returning to my original tasting notes, it is clear I must have been utterly captivated by the 2012 Promontory. Descriptors referencing black forest gâteaux, macerated blueberries and baking spices of all kind were scribbled with haste to capture the character of the wine before the next intriguing layer unfurled. On reflection, my initial excitement remains palpable, what a truly glorious offering. The precision and purity on the nose is remarkable, a crystalline clarity like you’re smelling in high definition, there’s lots of everything but not too much of anything. Cherry and blackcurrant fruit is rich and dense, but held in check by granite and cool stone. Left in the glass, a cooling freshness persists. So fine is the interplay of lustrous berries and svelte, silky tannins that, for a red of such grand proportions, it seems almost refreshing. All before a finish that lasts an age. Outstanding and a real joy to drink, an experience any wine lover should aspire to.
Jared Ehret, Private Account Manager

There is an abundance of bright cassis fruit initially on the nose, definitely an Opus signature, with charcoal and spice from the French oak mingling in the background. The palate has plenty of ripe black fruit but this is not at all overworked or overripe, showing its Bordelais pedigree. There is a streak of freshness underpinning the wine, which along with beautiful, silky tannins make this one to forget in the cellar for a decade.
Fergus Stewart - Private Account Manager

Bright in colour and swathes of Cassis, Damson and Blueberry fruit on the nose with hints of flint and mineralite in the background. A richly textured palate with an abundance of juicy dark berried fruit tempered by the sensibility of Mocha, espresso bean and smoke. The tannins are lush and melded tightly into the wine with a great acidity that gives it a beautiful lift.
Stuart Rae - Private Account Manager

This wine shows a distinct step on from the Artemis, which although very good value in itself, the S.L.V. has an extra layer of complexity & class all round. This shows nutmeg and incense on the nose with a dark, deep rooted youthfulness which is very promising. On the palate there are spades of sweet, juicy, fruit which one could be forgiven for thinking was from Pomerol.

There is also a Bordeaux style refreshing aspect to the palate, ensuring that this is eminently drinkable even now! The long, refined finish is a further delight such is the elegance and class on show.” Drinking 2016-2025+
Gary Owen, Fine Wine Private Account Manager

A charming, enticing and complex nose of layered cassis, damson and blueberry fruit, underpinned with a hint of graphite/tobacco and peppery exotic spice.  Full bodied on the mid palate and yet with a velvety and fluid personality, great acidity offering real lift.  Amazing palate truly emphasizing the philosophy of iron fist & velvet glove – true power versus balance and harmony. 

So well balanced and fluid now but will easily age another 20 + years. Truly cerebral, the alchemy of blending grapes from the Fay & S.L.V. vineyards in exceptional years to produce Cask 23 has truly worked, a whole that is indeed greater than the simple sum of its parts.  The flagship wine back on form, confirming its status as one of California’s best and why it outshines many a classed growth Bordeaux. 2022 – 2035+.
Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager

2012 was a textbook vintage in Napa. Above average warmth and sunshine, but with no major heat spikes to damage the crop. September and October saw some fine weather allowing the Cabernets to ripen perfectly on the vine with little disease pressure. Classically Californian in style, these are rich, concentrated wines that will reward extended cellaring, all in all, a great vintage.

Cardinale and Lokoya, two of the top names in California are part of the Artisan & Estates portfolio of Jackson Family Wines, a collection of independently run premium wineries, each owned by the late Jess Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke. Their vision is to make luxury wines from some of the great wine growing regions of the world.

In California, over 95% of Jackson Family’s Wine’s vineyards are located on mountains, ridges, hillsides and ‘benches’ where the vine has to struggle to survive because of the poor soils and the harsher conditions. This struggle shows in the quality of the final wines produced. Higher elevation and proximity to the ocean both play crucial roles in moderating temperatures, resulting in greater flavour, concentration and balance in the wines. All of the wines of both Lokoya and Cardinale are made by the talented Chris Carpenter.

Chris’s vision is to keep the properties separate, with Lokoya expressing the details of each of the cool Mountain sites, whereas Cardinale is viewed as a symphony of all the constituent parts.

2012 was a textbook vintage in Napa. Above average warmth and sunshine, but with no major heat spikes to damage the crop. September and October saw some fine weather allowing the Cabernets to ripen perfectly on the vine with little disease pressure. Classically Californian in style, these are rich, concentrated wines that will reward extended cellaring, all in all, a great vintage.

Inglenook was established in the top-rated Rutherford appellation in Napa Valley in 1879 by a Finnish sea captain, Gustave Niebaum. After a chequered history, which included the winery shutting down during prohibition, the estate regained its original reputation for producing very fine wine during the 1940s when it was owned by John Daniel. Now owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola he has brought on board a smorgasbord of talent in the guise of viticulturist Stephane Derenoncourt and winemaker Philippe Bascaules, from Chateau Margaux.

Ridge’s 2012 Proprietary Red Geyserville is a blend of 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignan, 7% Petite Sirah and the rest Mourvédre and Alicante Bouchet. It exhibits a dark ruby/plum color, loads of berry fruit intermixed with earth, pepper and spice, and good freshness as well as precision. This sensual, spicy 2012 can be consumed over the next 5-6 years.
91/100 Robert M. Parker, eRobertParker.com #215 Oct 2014

Woodbridge’s vineyard tucked away near the famous Eisele Vineyard, now owned by Château Latour, produces the wine known as the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between Vineyard. This is another luxurious, exceptionally concentrated and loaded wine with great intensity, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, unbelievable amounts of blackberry, cassis and blueberry fruit, crushed rock minerality, and a floral note. It is easily the most backward of the five Cabernet Sauvignons I tasted from Woodbridge in 2012. The wine is super-intense, displays plenty of tannin, but is silky and well-integrated. This wine needs at least 4-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for 30-50 years, as it promises to be one of the modern-day legends from Napa.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - The Wine Advocate, 28th Aug 2015