2013 Brand Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

“The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 21 months in 70% new French oak, is a small cuvée of just under 400 cases. It is certainly a magnificent wine with an inky purple color and a beautiful nose of blueberry, boysenberry and other black fruits interwoven with white flowers, and backed up by fabulous concentration, a multilayered mouthfeel and tremendous purity. Lots of Cabernet’s classic cassis fruits are present and the new oak component pushed well to the background because of the extravagant concentration and richness. This wine comes from a vineyard slightly higher than the nearby Colgin Estate IX Vineyard, which it backs up to. Drink through 2040. (RP)” (10/2015)

“Brand's 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Sumptuous, dark and expressive, the 2013 possesses remarkable richness and unctuosity matched by plenty of the freshness that is so typical of this vintage. The 2013 finishes with striking intensity and spiciness as it gains finesse with time in the glass. This is a wonderfully complete Cabernet Sauvignon from Brand. (AG) 96+” (10/2015)

“Deftly balanced, pure and rich, with a deep, vibrant, focused core of loamy earth—laced blackberry, blueberry, currant, cedary oak, mineral, graphite and anise. Begs for cellaring, as this is extremely young and vibrant. (JL)” (10/2016)