2012 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage 2012 has been regarded by all of the specialists as the perfect season. Personally, it has always been so difficult to chant about perfection, but tasting 2012 is nothing else but pure 'deliciousness' with flavors that excite your senses and a mouth-feel that makes you feel invincible...what a beast.

Absolutely perfect and one of the monumental wines of my long tasting trip in Napa is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee. I didn't see this from barrel last year. Aged 20 months in 75% new French oak and representing 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from three vineyard sources: one in Calistoga, one in Oakville and one in Howell Mountain. Robin Lail and winemaker Philippe Melka hit pay dirt with a wine that has an inky purple color, an almost amazing bouquet that reminded me of 1989 Chateau Montrose when it was young. Sweet almost truffle-infused earth, graphite, forest floor, blackcurrant and black cherry notes are followed by a full-bodied wine with a hint of mocha and licorice. Superb purity, an incremental, yet full-bodied mouthfeel, and an extravagant, layered texture and finish make for the finest wine Robin Lail has produced to date at her winery. Drink it over the next 25-35 years.

Robert Parker, October 2014

2011 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon

Lail's flagship wine, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon John Daniel Cuvee, is another rich, extroverted offering. Mocha, plums, chocolate, cloves, licorice and spices all emerge from a surprisingly big, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2011 is explosive, rich and intense, with equally imposing tannins that are going to need at least a few years to settle down. This is an impressive showing from Lail. The John Daniel Cuvee is built on a core of fruit from Heimark, plus Mole Hill and Vine Hill Ranch.

Made in a much lighter style, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in French oak. It offers up notes of cedarwood, tobacco leaf, underbrush and red and black currants. Medium-bodied with soft tannin and low acidity, it will need to be drunk over the next 7-8 years.