Deep purple in color. Showing a pleasant balanced intensity of juicy ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit aromas, with notes of baking spice, allspice, mocha, and toast. Medium-full bodied, with flavors of black cherry, graphite, and tobacco wrapped in a supple tannic shell. A more subtle expression of Napa Cabernet, showing great sense of place through ripe fruit expression without being over the top. Old-school in all the right ways. 93 pts Wine & Spirits Martin Reyes made this wine before he earned his Master of Wine credentials in 2018, and before Peter Paul brought on Jamey Whetstone to consult in 2017. It’s proof that you can buy a complex Napa Valley cabernet without spending a fortune. He based the blend on a vineyard in Yountville, with contributions from Rutherford and a young-vine site in St. Helena. The wine’s complexity is tied to a range of savory, umami notes in the tannins, deepening the flavors of the fresh plum- and bright strawberry-scented fruit. That freshness lasts in fruity black mushroom tones, directing its flavors toward wild mushroom polenta.