2016 Proprietary Red - Hunter Glenn Estate

Plump dark cherry, crushed violet, blackberry glaze. Damson plum, cool mocha, sweet cassis. Tobacco leaf and roasted pepper, powdered nutmeg and smoke. Ripe blueberry, soft boysenberry, and strawberry filling lead a fruit driven attack that comes nicely wrapped in cumin, vanilla, and toasty baking spices. Graham cracker crumbles and a milk chocolate drizzle spill over creme brûlée to add to the restrained unctuousness. Hints of red dust provide a small glimpse of earth but hardly distract from pretty polish and gloss. Medium plus in body, with elevated acidity and subtle yet silky tannin that expresses both balance and decadence. Complex, contemplative, and just plain yummy. This 2016 Proprietary Red by Hunter Glenn Estate is well designed and terrifically executed blend from Napa Valley.

As popular as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has become its fame is closely rivaled by Napa's signature luxury red blends. This bottling, crafted by Hunter Glenn Estate using an undisclosed blend of grape varieties source from within Napa Valley, is an extremely impressive example of this fashionable genre. This wine is quite rich and mouthfilling in typical Napa style yet contains ample structure to support its frame. Its ripe fruit profile melds wonderfully with beautiful confections without ever coming across as sappy or sugary. This is an extraordinarily delicious small production wine made all the more impressive when considering its very modest price tag.