2005 Far Niente "Cave Collection" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

This well-established winery from the Nickel family has built a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot (14.5% alcohol) from their impressive holdings in Oakville. The winery has considerable history, having been founded in 1885 and then abandoned in 1919 with the beginning of Prohibition. Far Niente possesses one of the great labels in Napa Valley and the wine clearly lives up to the aesthetic beauty of the packaging. Dense purple, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Cave Collection offers beautifully pure crème de cassis fruit, licorice, graphite and subtle spice box. Oakville is, for me, the Pauillac of Napa Valley, and this is first-growth quality without a doubt. It full body, beautiful texture, seamless integration of all its component parts, and stunning ripeness make for a profound Far Niente that is aging magnificently and seems far superior to what I remember in its youthfulness. (Shame on me.) This full-bodied beauty seems to have entered its plateau of maturity, but should continue to drink well for another two decades. (RP)