Promontory Napa Valley 2016

This has the kick of black pepper, green pepper, mint leaf and eucaplyptus that takes you slap bang into Cabernet Sauvignon territory. As things limber up on the palate, everything is held in place by structured, slate-textured tannins that keep you pinned you in the heart of the wine. Plump blueberry and raspberry fruits, grilled almond, cloves and gunsmoke, with fresh sage notes that place you with a vineyard planted at altitude. The vines range in age from 7 to 50 years old, covering 32ha, with the wine aged in large-sized oak casks for three years, extremely unusual in Napa, and then typically held back for a further year in bottle before release. Promontory is all about precision, ageing-ability and carefully-hewn tannins, and this is great stuff from winemaker David Cilli and director Will Harlan. 2016 is the 4th vintage on the Place de Bordeaux (the US release for the 2016 vintage came in late 2021, with March 2022 marking the release for the rest of the world).