2013 Morlet, Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

JA98 A serious Cabernet from an intense year, this is still young as it rolls into its 10th year, and could benefit from longer in bottle. Emphasis on black tea, luscious ripe cherry, cocoa bean, slate, the full array of red, black and blue fruits, pomegranate and mandarin rind. Takes all that is great about 2013 and gives it a measured, fresh edge that is pretty irresistable. Beckstoffer To Kalon fruit. 85% new oak, native yeast fermentation, bottled unfined and unfiltered.

RP97+ From a year that Morlet describes as, "on the classic style," the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee—a 75–25 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc—is gently leafy and floral, with ample dark berries and cherries on the nose. Full-bodied, it's richly concentrated and still tannic, with a long, vibrant finish. It's a top-quality vintage for this cuvée (rivaling the 2016), with the fruit coming from Beckstoffer To Kalon.