2005 Sloan, Proprietary Red, Rutherford, Magnum (1.5L), OWC [Winery Direct]

RP97 "This vineyard, high above the Rutherford AVA, on the gorgeous hillside not far from the famed restaurant and hotel Auberge du Soleil, has produced a winner in my retrospective of 2005s. This is clearly a great terroir, and that comes through in this savory, broad, expansive, pure 2005 Proprietary Red from Sloan. Offering black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins, notes of forest floor and spice box, and loamy soil undertones, the wine is dense, full-bodied, opulent, and just entering its plateau of maturity, where it should keep for another 15-20 years. This was one of the stunners in the great line-up that I tasted of 10-year-old North Coast Cabernet Sauvignons." RP Jun 2015

Robert Parker writes, "This fabulous 13-acre vineyard on a 60-acre tract high on the hillsides above the Auberge du Soleil has a superstar team in place – viticulturalist David Abreu, winemaker Martha McClellan (the wife of Harlan Estates’ Bob Levy), and of course, who else but Michel Rolland to do some consulting work. Proprietor Stuart Sloan seems content to produce well under 400-500 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is virtually nothing from a vineyard of this size, and let the market fight over the tiny production. Hopefully, they will eventually get close to 1,000 cases, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Certainly everything produced to date has been impeccable, often flirting with perfection." Published: Dec 27, 2007