Abreu - Cappella Proprietary Red 2013

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Smoky, mineral driven nose with charcoal, plum, blackberry, flower, vanilla and liqueur notes. Elegant, energetic and concentrated, with a sweetness and purity of fruit, the finish is all about the dusty tannins and fresh, clean blackberries that stick with you. The wine was made from a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The Cappella, which usually has at least 35-30% Cabernet Franc in it, looks absolutely fabulous now that the 2013 Cappella is finally in bottle. They only made about 206 cases of it, so it’s a small cuvée from this vineyard on the back streets of St. Helena. It displays sweet espresso notes, loads of white chocolate, blackberry, Asian spice and incense. It is full-bodied and opulent, with the tannins surprisingly silky and well-disguised, which is somewhat unusual in this vintage of extraordinary power and density. This is a 35- to 50-year wine."

WINE SPECTATOR: " This has the broad-shouldered persona of the vintage, but its muscular physique is deftly cloaked in velvety structure, with loam, warmed cassis, alder, steeped plum and sweet tobacco notes that are seamlessly layered. The long finish shows latent drive as a graphite underpinning plays its role, giving the fruit the support for a lengthy encore. There's plenty of life ahead for this too. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Blind 2013 California Cabernet retrospective (February 2023). Drink now through 2040. 239 cases made."