2023 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA (750ml)

WINEMAKER NOTES:

Lail's flagship wine is named for John Daniel Jr., ancestor to the Lail Vineyards legacy. The J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon is a product of a flawless growing season, resulting in a crop of intensely flavored berries. The wine presents vibrant aromas of black cherry, raspberry, violets, and dark chocolate. It is characterized by its signature flavors of blackberry preserves, boysenberry, and spice. The wine is both elegant and silky, yet powerful, complex, and insistent. The tannins are focused, ripe, and round, supported by bright and lively acidity. The wine has been highly praised for its concentration, clarity, and drive, making it a gorgeous expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at its highest level. 

TASTING NOTES:

Based on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga, Howell Mountain, Oakville, and Stags Leap District and aged 20 months in French oak barrels (80% new), the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée is deep purple-hued and offers a kaleidoscopic array of red and black fruits, scorched earth, smoke, tobacco, graphite, and sappy floral nuances. It's full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish that won't quit. Give it just a few years of bottle age and enjoy over the following three decades. Drink 2028-2055.

- Jeb Dunnuck, 99 pts. 

As has been the case for other recent vintages, Lail's 2023 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon draws largely on vineyard sources in Calistoga (Heimark), Oakville (Vine Hill Ranch) and Stags Leap (Steltzner). This vintage is dark in hue, with intense aromas of cassis and blueberries, tinged with mocha. It's medium- to full-bodied in the mouth, concentrated and rich but tightly wound, with a long, silky-tannic finish. Enjoy the more-forward 2022 while waiting for the 2023's grip to relax a bit.
Rating: 98+

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 pts. 

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvée is a dark, sumptuous beauty. Blackberry, cloves, mocha, new leather and chocolate convey notable textural and flavor intensity. Soft, supple contours lend tons of immediacy, making the 2023 relatively accessible for the year.
Rating: 97+

- Vinous, 97 pts. 

Floral and spicy, with lovely perfumed aromas of blue, red and black fruit, olive tapenade, cocoa powder, crushed stones and an herbal, earthy undertone. The palate is seamlessly integrated, with a silky, textural mouthfeel and tannins that almost melt in your mouth. A lovely balance of freshness, purity and earth. Delicious. Drink or hold.

- James Suckling, 96 pts.