2021 Vineyard 36 "The Black Aces" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

These beauties are made by the talented Keith Emerson, who has been at Vineyard 36 since 2017. I think there's been a slight tweak in the style of these wines over the past couple of vintages, with the wines slightly more restrained and elegant. The largest production release here (it's still a minuscule 300 cases or thereabouts), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon The Black Aces has beautiful purity in its cassis and darker berry fruits, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a focused, elegant, nicely balanced profile. It reveals more violet, loamy earth, and chocolate notes with time in the glass, and it's going to benefit from just a few years in the cellar and have 15 years of prime drinking.