I tasted this wine with Alfred Tesseron immediately following the 100 point 2016 Pontet-Canet...not an easy act to follow...but the wine stood up in quality and showed a unique and distinctive Mount Veeder derived sense of place. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised that the wine had such a different personality than its Bordelais counterpart. Clearly Tesseron has brought the same exacting attention to detail to his new estate but the wine's aromas, flavors and textures are entirely its own. High-toned black and red fruit, bay laurel, cedar, mint and rose water. Savory notes of crushed volcanic rock and dry tobacco leaf. Rich and ripe on the palate but with plenty of freshness and long, refined tannin; the wine has considerable structure but is not aggressive of astringent. I'm excited to see where this estate goes in coming years, but this is quite the debut!

I can say without hesitation; this is the best inaugural release I've experienced from anywhere. Of course, this wine has everything going for it, including a world-class winemaker, a prized vineyard, and an exceptional vintage. It delivers everything one could hope for in a Napa Valley red. Bold and dynamic, it unfurls flavors of cassis, dark plum, boysenberry, and bramble—and that's just from the first sip! These flavors carry and develop on the palate and are soon accented by notes to pipe tobacco, mocha, subtle Asian spice, and a whisper of vanilla. This 2016 is inviting even at this early stage and has the tannin and body to develop for another twenty years at least. The world of high-end Napa Cabs gets increasingly crowded by the day, but an entry like this one is well worth your attention. I would put this estate up against Bryant, Colgin, Harlan, or even Screaming Eagle. This is a genuinely inspirational bottle of wine, and I fully expect more like it in the coming years.