2015 MacDonald Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

“There are two monumental wines from these two brothers. Looking first at the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, this beauty does everything right, and if it wasn’t for the 2016, I’d probably have thought it was a perfect wine. Sporting a deep purple color as well as a powerful bouquet of gorgeous crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with subtle new oak, camphor, and chocolate, this majestic 2015 hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and loads of sweet tannins. It shows the exuberant, sexy style of the 2015 vintage yet is always balanced, pure, and even elegant. It’s going to continue drinking brilliantly for another three decades and readers should count themselves lucky if they have some of this elixir in their cellar.” (01/2019)

“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with exuberant wild blueberry, black plums and cassis scents backed up by suggestions of mocha, tilled soil, menthol, smoked meats, yeast extract and star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with layers of black and blue fruits and an amazing array of spicy sparks, supported by a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and minerally. (LPB) 97+” (08/2018)

“Sumptuous and intense are the words for this deep, rich, organic wine from a warmer vintage. Cassis, earth and spice, with notes of minerals and bitter chocolate unroll on your tongue like layers. (EM)” (07/2018)

“We returned to the West Coast with the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from MacDonald, the first time I had tasted a wine from this producer since little makes its way to this side of the Atlantic. It has a powerful nose and a pretty Médoc-like personality, though with time, it develops an opulence that shifted me to California. Fine delineation, but backward and stubborn at the moment. The palate is tannic on the entry, though it thankfully dovetails into a more elegant and poised finish with just the right amount of sapidity. It is still unevolved, and I would give it another couple of years. (AG)” (09/2024)