Robert Parker 97+ pts Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth opens with a profoundly earthy nose, revealing notes of underbrush, fungi, fertile loam and black truffles over a core of crushed black cherries, raspberry preserves and wild strawberries with touches of star anise and black pepper. Medium-bodied with compelling tension between the wildly intense red and black fruit flavors and the incredible freshness, it has a taut, finely grained frame and long mineral-tinged finish.
Robert Parker 99 pts Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with gorgeous floral notes of red roses and lilacs over a core of black and red cherries, crushed black currants and baking spices plus hints of iron ore and dusty earth. The voluptuous, rounded, soft and sexy fruit slinks across the palate with incredible seamlessness and expression. Make no mistake, it is full-bodied and decadently powerful, but with a myriad of aromatic nuances, finishing long, layered and boldly perfumed.
Robert Parker 99 pts Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with gorgeous floral notes of red roses and lilacs over a core of black and red cherries, crushed black currants and baking spices plus hints of iron ore and dusty earth. The voluptuous, rounded, soft and sexy fruit slinks across the palate with incredible seamlessness and expression. Make no mistake, it is full-bodied and decadently powerful, but with a myriad of aromatic nuances, finishing long, layered and boldly perfumed.
Robert Parker 94 pts The 2016 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussière almost seemed to relish being unaffected by the frost. A soupçon of schadenfreude perchance? It delivers a joyous, well-defined and concentrated bouquet with a mixture of black and blue fruit, almost Chambolle-like thanks to its richness. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh acidity, and there is superb density here. It feels lively and tensile without compromising the backbone one expects from this vineyard: layers of black fruit tinged with graphite toward the finish. It is almost as if this Morey is rubbing in the fact that its Chambolle stablemates suffered so much during the growing season. This ranks alongside the stupendous 2015 last year.
Robert Parker 100 pts The “dark expression of Ark Vineyard" continues with the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dark Ark. Deep garnet-black, the nose is profoundly earthy/meaty, slowly revealing beguiling notes of damp soil, truffles and crushed rocks, before giving way to a core of crème de cassis, black cherry compote and fruitcake with wafts of beef drippings and wild fungi. Full-bodied, rich and oh-so-earthy in the mouth, the palate delivers layers of black fruit preserves, beautifully offset by a lively backbone and velvety tannins, finishing epically long and layered. There is something hauntingly cerebral and yet satisfyingly visceral about this vintage—a singular experience!
Robert Parker 100 pts The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Medium garnet in color, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of dried cherries, boysenberry preserves, blackcurrant pastilles and charcuterie with hints of chocolate mint, rose oil and licorice, plus a waft of cardamom. The rich, full-bodied palate is tightly knit and youthful, delivering great tension among the layers upon layers of minerals, black fruits and floral notes, finishing very long and incredibly perfumed. Gorgeous.
Robert Parker 100 pts Deep garnet colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Wraith soars out of the glass with Black Forest cake, Indian spices, tobacco leaf, dried Provence herbs and smoked meats notes, with touches of damp soil, black truffles and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with layer upon earthy layer of nuanced black fruits, framed by finely grained tannins, finishing with a lifted, bright red fruit burst. It's like a complex scent puzzle that only begins to make sense when knitted with the textures in the mouth and then long after the wine has been swallowed. Still incredibly youthful, give it another 5 years in the cellar, at least, and drink it over the next 40 years+.
Robert Parker 97 pts Produced using a good portion of Calera Clone fruit (40%), the 2016 Pinot Noir Big Hill Vineyard gives a medium to deep ruby-purple color and is intensely scented of black raspberries, red currants, rhubarb and strawberry pie and blackberries with touches of lavender, fertile earth, menthol and cracked pepper. Medium to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and packed with muscular, tightly-wound fruit, this Pinot is built like brick house, finishing on an epically lingering mineral note. Wow!
Robert Parker 97+ pts Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir West Block rocks up with gorgeous kirsch, black forest cake and mulberries scents plus touches of stewed rhubarb, exotic spices, potpourri, lilacs, chocolate mints and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied with a taut grainy texture and oodles of freshness, the black and red fruits are fantastically perfumed in the mouth and on the very long finish.
