2015 Futo Estate, Oakville, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

JD98+ (Futo Estate) Lastly, the 2015 Estate gets the award for the biggest, baddest, most massive wine in the lineup! A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, it reveals a deep purple color as well as a huge nose of blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, spice-box and crushed flowers. Possessing full-bodied richness, incredible depth of fruit, building tannin, and flat out awesome purity and freshness, it’s a tour de force that’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 2+ decades. Located just across from Harlan Estate, on the western side of Oakville, Futo was created by Kansas natives Tom and Kyle Futo in 2002. The wines are made today by the young Jason Exposto and they release four Bordeaux blends, driven largely by the different terroirs they’re able to work with. These are singular, world-class wines that I wish every reader could taste. The 2015s are true blockbusters that share similarities to the 2012s (and maybe the 2007), and the 2016s show a similar level of depth, with perhaps slightly more purity.

RP97 This wine comes from Futo's Oakville estate: six separate vineyard sites at 250 to 500 feet in elevation planted on decomposed sandstone and shale from ancient uplifted seabed. The first vintage was 2004. The 2015 Proprietary Red Estate is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with opulent crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and blueberry compote notes with touches of redcurrant jelly, eucalyptus, dried rose petals and Chinese five spice plus a waft of tree bark. Full-bodied, rich and decadently fruited, the voluptuous black fruits are beautifully framed by firm, velvety tannins and a lively line, finishing very long with compelling exotic spice layers. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered; 602 cases were produced.