This Napa Valley red jumps immediately to my Top 5 all time, an amazing thank you gift from a long-time author friend. The 2012 Cardinale is flat-out spectacular and the best wine Notes has covered all year. Many thanks, Steve, and definitely raising a glass to our continued friendship.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cardinale, Napa Valley, California, USA.

The 2012 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot grapes, and truthfully is a whole lot more than that. It is a superfluous wine for which I entirely lack the vocabulary even after several hundreds of tastings covered here over the past decade. Upon initial tasting I could hit on dark cherry, on blackberry–even plum is a possibility–and some definite wisps of vanilla and peat (not sure that’s the right term for what I’m trying to describe in the latter) that I’m sure is driven by the terroir here.

A little online research shows that seven different AVAs (Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Stags’ Leap, Yountville, and St. Helena) were sourced by winemaker Chris Carpenter in developing this black cherry beauty. There are so many little subtleties in play that each time your brain seems to seize on one particular nuance it suddenly registers another flavor. Makes the 2012 very difficult to describe but spectacular to drink.

Just so I don’t leave you entirely bereft of actionable information, here’s a review from The Wine Advocate: “With enormous complexity and richness as well as full-bodied power and voluptuousness, it is a wine of exceptional purity, intensity, and well-integrated acidity, alcohol, tannin, and wood. This seamless, majestic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2012 should drink well for two decades.”

Now, that’s a ton of technical jargon and very high praise to include on a website that’s declared purpose is to be the opposite of pretentious. Certainly not my intent, but the 2012 Cardinale Cabernet was really stunning and even thinking back I’m so amazed and privileged to try this. Many thanks Dr. G and looking forward to our next occasion!