Tor Kenward Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside 2015

95 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): “Drive the Oakville Cross Road to the Silverado Trail, then look directly forward and up and you see Tierra Roja, a small four-acre jewel of a hillside vineyard. The vineyard is dotted with big rocks, and the soil is roja (very red). The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside comes from the upper steep terraces of the vineyard, directly below Dalla Valle. It includes 5% Cabernet Franc from another of Oakville’s vineyards. Fermented in a single closed-top tank, this was allowed to stay on its skins for a little over 30 days. The wine continued to pick up sweetness and depth without adding on any drying tannin, so extended maceration was used. After fermentation this was lightly pressed to new Taransaud and Darnajou barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives profound crème de cassis, blueberry pie, mulberries, plums, chocolate box, menthol and licorice aromas with underbrush hints. The full-bodied palate is firm, vibrant and earthy with herbal accents, finishing long and earthy. 300 cases produced. Drink: 2020-2038. (Sep 2018)”