Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 375ml

From the Producer: The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon has great elegance and power. Ripe raspberry and sarsaparilla highlight the aromatics on the nose. Layered notes of dried lavender and wet slate highlight both vineyard site and winemaking style. On the palate this wine's fresh acidity and gravelly minerality lead to great focus at the finish and compliment notes of fig, leather and cacao.

Vinous - Another stellar wine from Mayacamas, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon continues to be quite reticent, which is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects. Even so, the 2015 is dense, powerful and super-concentrated, with a level of finesse in its tannins that separates it from so many wines in this challenging vintage. Time in the glass brings out graphite, menthol, licorice, sage and spice notes that add a sense of gravitas. I would prefer to cellar the 2015 for at least a few years to allow some of the baby fat to melt away. I expect the 2015 will always remain an exotic, full-throttle wine relative to the norm here. I can't wait to see how it ages.

Wine Spectator - Youthfully compact, with tightly wound black currant, bitter plum and dark blueberry notes, this will need time to meld with the charcoal, bay leaf and tar streaks, but the mouthwatering cut on the finish suggests that won’t be a problem. Offers a long echo of juniper at the end. Best from 2023 through 2040.

James Suckling - Some ripe blue fruit with mushroom character. Hint of conifer, too. Medium to full body. Pretty, firm and creamy tannins. Needs two or three years to come completely together, but already beautiful. Drink after 2022.

Wine & Spirits - Andy Erickson and Braiden Albrecht made this wine, following many of the practices set in place by Bob Travers, including a relatively early harvest, fermentation in cement vats (along with some open-top foudres and stainless steel), and long aging in neutral oak (20 months in foudre, 12 months in barrique). Like newly released Mayacamas wines of the past, this 2015 makes no concessions for early drinking. It’s austere, meaty, beefy and tense, with tannins that recall the volcanic soils and conifer forests of Mount Veeder. Concentrated and green, this needs years to evolve in the bottle.