2013 Sueno Profundo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Judgment of Paris Revisited … Hit ’em Straight

We’re told by suppliers that WineAccess now sells far more of a given wine on single day than New York wholesalers sell in a year. Unless that day happens to be Father’s Day.

We’re told that 83% of all purchases on WineAccess are made by men over the age of 45. So it stands to reason that today — the one day of the year when we’re free to do what we WANT to do, instead of being obliged to do what we’re TOLD to do — few will be reading this missive as they head to the golf course.

Unless…

Forty years ago, Steven Spurrier held the famous Judgement of Paris tasting at which a 1973 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon outpointed the 1970 First Growth Bordeaux. While the French judges cried foul, the results echoed around the world, drawing the international spotlight on the luscious, silken Cabernets of Stags Leap. Almost four decades later, Ry Richards, the assistant winemaker at Chappellet, tapped into some of that same Stags Leap magic.

Richards crafted just 8-12 barrels each of three stunning 2013s, including the monumental Cabernet Sauvignon “Reserve.” But, as Ry told us over dinner in St. Helena in late April, if the “Reserve” was his most powerful 2013, this final release — drawn off the gravelly loam soils of Stags Leap and Rutherford — is the sleekest and most polished.

The 2013 Sueño Profundo Cabernet Sauvignon is opaque purple to the rim. Classic aromas of small black fruits, violets, lavender, and mint, tinged with graphite. Big, broad, and bold on the attack, filled with a classic Stags Leap profile of dark chocolate, mountain blueberry jam, menthol, and rose oil. While delicious on release, like all the phenomenal 2013s from Robert Parker’s “greatest vintage in 37 years,” this most imposing Cabernet Sauvignon to date from Ry Richards will age effortlessly for 10-15 years.

One barrel or 25 cases have been earmarked for WineAccess. The winery priced it at $65/bottle, and we had set this offer price at $45 — before we decided to see if anyone was reading on Father’s Day.

P.S. Hit ’em straight, and good luck with your short game, on the one morning of the year when we get to do what we WANT to do!