Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Napa Valley California

2016 vintage: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Grapes hand-harvested at night. Hand-sorted while still cold from the field. Fermentation in closed-top stainless steel fermentors with indigenous selected yeasts. 5 day cold soak, 28 days total maceration. Aged 20 months in French oak, 67% new. Unfined and unfiltered. From its alluring deep garnet to its engaging aromas of wild blackberry, cocoa, and dried sage, the wine is endowed with refinement and definition by sourcing from first-rate sites within the region. A core of succulent dark plum and black currant envelope the palate with delineated accents of lavender, tobacco and crushed graphite that hold through the long finish across fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity. Lovely with aged goat milk cheese and jamón ibérico or classic beef bourguignon.