2012 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/8/2015)
Opened for a team dinner, so it did not get as much attention as I would have preferred to give it, but I did manage to have a small taste when it was opened, as well as a glass later to go with my hanger steak entrée. Initially I found it quite closed in, even a bit hard. What it did show was moderate weight and substantial structure. Fast forward 2 hours, and the glass that I poured (the last from the bottle that had been getting some air all that time), had opened substantially, while still retaining that same level of structure. Now there was also deep red and black fruit, some spice and a deep bass note that I can only call earth, as it has not resolved itself into something more specific. This is clearly on the old school side of the spectrum, which makes me very happy. I just think that several years in the cellar are not only advisable but required. The notes about this wine being so open and forward really surprise me, as I got none of that. Instead I got a ton of promise.