2012 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Cabernet Sauvignon — 96pts “Inky Purple”

In 2003, when they hatched the idea, it looked like a piece of cake. Just because the rest of Napa seemed to have fallen in love with overripe Cabernet — wines that literally needed to be watered down to reduce spiking alcohol levels — it didn’t mean they couldn’t do otherwise. They just needed to find a cool spot and an enterprising grower and to stick to their guns. Piece of cake.

Three years later, after hundreds of late nights together, plenty of Guinness and an occasional shot of Elijah Craig — with bottles of vintage Pauillac in between — Jeff Mathy and Karl Lehmann were stumped.  All they had to do was track their increased bourbon depletions to realize their project was doomed. Then, by chance, on a what-the-hell excursion to the southern end of Napa, they found the spot and the partner — and finally made a Napa Valley Cabernet they call “Vellum.”

Drawn off of a 2+ acre parcel, hand-tended by winegrowing partner Jerry Linstad, the vines here are often shrouded by both morning and evening fog, keeping clusters cool and berries pert and fresh. In a 2012 growing season that will never be forgotten on the rocky soils just south of the Stags Leap line, Linstad was treated to an endless series of turquoise sky summer days, even as daytime highs hovered in the high 80s.  

In past vintages, Lehmann has always leaned toward early harvest dates, looking to retain acid balance.  But given the fluctuated mild and extremely dry conditions of 2012, the partners made a rare exception, opting to let the Cabernet Sauvignon hang a bit longer without any concern for blistering or desiccation.

The result?  Far and away the richest and most muscular Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon to date.  

This 2012 is a powerhouse. Inky purple. Voluptuous aromas of blackberry, mountain blueberry, violets, and graphite, tinged with new-wood cedar. Rich, lush, sleek, and silken in texture, the mid-palate is infused with blackberry and black raspberry preserves, splashed with sweet crème de cassis, finishing with great sturdiness and vibrancy. Like all the top 2012s, drink now for its primary-fruit hedonism, or lay this one down until the mid-2020s.

96 points from Decanter Magazine, Britain’s high-brow answer to our Wine Spectator.  $85 on release.  A fraction of the price today on WineAccess. Shipping included on 4.