Red Wine Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Decant 2 hours before serving. Far Niente, meaning without a care” in Italian, was originally founded in 1885 by gold rush veteran John Benson who enlisted the help of architect Hamden McIntyre to build the grand old stone winery. During Prohibition the estate was abandoned, and it was only in 1979 that the new owners Gil and Beth Nickel restored it to its former glory. Today the estate boasts 200 acres of prime vineyards across the Napa Valley. This magnificent Cabernet is regarded as one of Napa’s finest. Fruit is primarily sourced from the revered Martin Stelling vineyard located behind the winery in Oakville. This plot is blessed with exceptional gravel and loam soils which help to produce elegant, refined wines with fantastic tannins. The fruit is carefully sorted in the winery so only the best fruit is used. After vinification the young wine is aged in mostly new French oak barrels for 17 months in the historic Far Niente stone cellars. The result is a plush, concentrated Cabernet that’s bursting with succulent cassis, blackberries, dark plums, and hints of star anise and bitter chocolate. There’s a robust full body, firm tannins, and solid core of dark fruit on the palate, culminating in a long, harmonious finish seasoned with cigar box spice and cedar notes.
2018
Red Wine Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Red Wine Faust Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. FAUST is the creation of the Chilean-born winemaker Agustin Huneeus who is best known in Napa for founding the well-known Quintessa winery in Rutherford. Together with his wife, Valeria, who is a microbiologist, he started FAUST to showcase the charm of Cabernet Sauvignon from different terroirs across the Napa Valley. Their core vineyard is a 110-acre site located in Coombsville which is planted with mature Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and was first purchased by the Huneeus family in 1998. These grapes are blended with Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from cooler hillside sites in Napa to craft a beautiful expression of the region’s most celebrated grape variety. The Cabernet is blended with a small amount of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc to add a touch of verve and extra complexity, with the wine matured in French oak barrels before bottling and released. FAUST has a cult following in the US thanks to the luscious dark fruit flavours which are nicely complemented by a generous full body, firm tannins and a very long, structured finish. Notes of cassis, blackberry and wild plum characterise the nose while the palate offers hints of violets, leather, dark chocolate and campfire smoke which linger on the tongue. It’s recommended to decant this powerful wine an hour or so before serving to allow it to open up fully.
2018
Red Wine Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. This handsome Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship wine of FAUST, an ambitious winery founded by Valeria and Agustin Huneeus to showcase the brilliance of Napa’s diverse terroirs. Agustin is probably best known in Napa for founding the Quintessa winery in Rutherford. FAUST is centred around a 110-acre site in Coombsville which was bought by the family in 1998 and is predominantly planted with mature Cabernet and Merlot. To craft this magnificent wine grapes are carefully selected from the highest elevation plots on the Coombsville estate which are vinified in individual lots in the winery. Conditions here are ideal for premium winemaking thanks to the rocky volcanic soils and cooling breezes from the nearby San Pablo Bay which retain plenty of aromatics and freshness in the grapes. Once the vinification is complete the young wine is aged in French oak barrels for 19 months, integrating the unique components of the wine and bringing balance and harmony to the cuvee. The result is a powerful, full-throttled red that will benefit from several years more in the cellar thanks to the rigid tannins, firm structure and luscious dark fruit character. If you do choose to enjoy it now, pair with hearty dishes like barbecued ribs, a ribeye steak, or rich vegetarian dishes like aubergine parmigiana.
2018