Dear Oenophile,

On Friday, as I was rushing out the door to a vintage Chateauneuf tasting, one of our local hookups came through the door and said: "Ah, you NEED to taste this really quick, it is selling like wildfire and I can't offer you much." Turns out it was the new 2010 BLACK CORDON Cabernet, the older brother of our extremely popular sellout 16 x 20, and made by the legendary Paul Hobbs.

Paul's wines run anywhere from $40-400 bucks. Trust me, this one OVERDELIVERS in a big way. To my palate, not only is this the best Black Cordon Cab I have yet tasted, it is a slight departure from the whopper style of the past vintages - this one is powerful for sure but I find it has another level of complexity and structure that puts it up on a higher pedestal. 2010 Napa Cabernets are hitting the shelves now, and it's clear the vintage is a stellar one.

So - we have about 10 cases, and a good price. At $420 a 6-pack, this is a great buy and a fantastic choice for the cellar - WHILE IT LASTS! Arrives one week.

2010 BLACK CORDON Napa Valley Cabernet  $69.95

My notes: "On the ripe and sexy side, but just right. This has structure and intensity. Woodsy notes, exotic wood spices, a pure sense of cassis, cocoa dust, chicory, blackberry jam, and pencil lead. Rich and balanced, just enough tannin to keep it sticking to your palate. Delicious - buy"

Winery notes: "This black pool of a wine is reluctant to give up too many of its secrets at this young age but there is no hiding the purity of the 2010 vintage. The nose is tight, hanging onto the deep aromas that lay deep in the core. Sweet cassis and a little bit of plum are carried by sweet oak, but it’s the scented purity of violets, spiced up by briar and anise, that are showing the most at this time. I’m searching for the parade of components but the harmonious purity of this wine makes it hard to separate any one of them out. This wine has a full, rich feel of volume in the mouth; you just want to hold it there and sense the weight. Black Currant and an accent of spicy, briar  blackberry are the core flavors with dark plum lingering in the finish. There is beautiful balance with big sweet tannins that are kept lively with fresh youthful acidity at the edges. Pure sweet oak envelopes sweet juicy fruit with touches of graphite and chocolate starting to show. Seamlessly you find yourself savoring a deep, lengthy, black currant finish. I’m struck by the teamwork of aroma and flavors in this wine – something that I’ve referred to as “purity” from the first days in barrel. For me this wine is a model of ideal integration of oak aging. Seamless unity makes it difficult to separate all the components but they’re all there composing a wine that is complex and layered but harmoniously one piece."

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