Juicy black currant, cocoa powder, açai purée. Crunchy blackberry, cool menthol, blueberry glaze. Cassis, plump dark cherry, and silky plum collide with fresh mint, cigar tobacco, and graham cracker in a lively and lifted display. Iris and violet impart a dousing floral perfume to further bolsters surprisingly expansive aromatics as vanilla, anise, and snickerdoodle contribute a delicious dusting of confectionery spice. Notes of espresso and Mexican hot chocolate materialize to continue the subtle yet sensual decadence before iron, fir tree, and volcanic soil reassert a natural and lightly earthy edge. Charming, restrained, and quite structured on the palate with impressive texture of crushed velvet that remains mouth-filling without excess heft. Medium plus in body with substantial tannin and wonderfully elevated acidity. This 2016 Jungle Love Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon by Okapi Wines is an elegant and beautifully terroir expressive red from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley.

Located just north of downtown Napa and directly south of Yountville, the Oak Knoll District sits right at the beginning of one of the greatest stretches of Cabernet vineyards in the world. This bottling, crafted by Okapi Wines using Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Jungle Love Vineyard in Oak Knoll, showcases the majesty and complexity only possible when a grape is ideally suited to its terroir. While it possesses no shortage of ripe, rich, and even succulent fruit this wine is more pretty than outright powerful, and it gracefully maintains tremendous freshness, balance, and restraint. It is expressive yet elegant; falling somewhere in between modern and classic Napa styles while maintaining its authenticity throughout. An extremely impressive micro-production Cab.