Highly perfumed, exotic floral aromas interspersed with dried herb, sweet mint, bay laurel, and pine resin savory notes. Black cherry, boysenberry, and blackberry fruit builds with a precise edge of slate and red minerals. Quite fruit-forward on the palate, riper, darker, and bolder than its 2014 predecessor. Sandalwood, pencil lead, and tobacco notes shine through along with a little blackcurrant leaf. Offers lovely balanced complexity. Power allied to elegance with lots of detailed nuance while always wonderfully drinkable. Round billowing tannins promise aging potential of 12+ years.
When vine yields are low, palate volume increases; this wine is a perfect example. It is gorgeously textured and supple with an expansive, layered palate and soft enveloping tannins, but its richness never comes at the expense of detail or freshness. There's an intriguing, all-encompassing complexity that one would expect from a blend of vineyards where each site complements the next, layering nuance on top of power, breadth alongside vibrancy.
The wine has clearly defined mountain-grown, volcanic-soil markers: a fragrant essence, some dried mushroom and underbrush potpourri notes. But it's the fruit core that really leads the charge - sweet, dark, plush, and chewy with an extended flavor delivery and a subtle, rising, energetic finish. Perfect to drink on release or to age for as long as you have the patience. Delicious.
Released in January of this year, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley has a deep, Saint-Estèphe-like (for some reason I always find these Old World comparisons in Andy's wines) character in its pure, deep black and blue fruits, graphite, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness, terrific freshness, and a building sense of minerality, it's certainly approachable today, yet is going to evolve gracefully for two decades or more.
Du Mol's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is plump, juicy and open-knit, all qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next few years. A rush of bright red cherry, plum, pomegranate, mint, wild flowers and chocolate meld together. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 offers a good bit of freshness in its aromatics. I would give the wine a year or two in bottle to fully come together. Today, the new oak is a bit prominent. The Napa Valley Cabernet is a blend of fruit from Meteor, Reve and Ballard.