2016 Lincourt Cabernet Sauvignon La Cuesta Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (5/21/2022)
14.3% abv. Recent auction purchase.
Hmm. Wow - surprised how very good this was, considering that the vineyard location (near Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley) is not exactly known for Cabernet Sauvignon. I blinded my wife on this, who took one whiff and immediately called Cabernet without hesitation. First class CS aromatics for sure. On the palate, clean and precise, at that perfect ripeness level that keeps the CS character but has no under-ripe qualities - just a really classic CS flavor profile, with just a hint of oak. Medium weight (in the realm of California Cabernet) but good depth and concentration with good focus on the mid-palate. Some tannin on the finish that seemed to become more pronounced by the last glass.
Probably not a wine that will wow the “bigger is better” Napa Cab crowd, but for my palate, I absolutely loved this.
In no danger of falling off anytime soon. If I had another bottle (I don’t), I’d hold for another 2+ years to let the tannins soften. (95 pts.)
Really impressive Cabernet from the Santa Ynez Valley. No one else bid for this and I ended up getting it for $15 after buyer’s premium.