2015 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/4/2023)
Casual, last-minute dinner with friends, so this did not get any advance treatment, but it still showed why it's special. I picked this out because EMH was one of my dad's favorite Cabernets in the last few years of his life. Since he had passed just a couple of days earlier it seemed an appropriate wine to share.
I have always found EMH to be relatively classic in style, but this was full on classic - red fruit, firm tannins, but stuffing to balance - yet not overwhelming. Rather than just a casual dinner I would love to have been sitting with a medium rare ribeye, and my dad sitting across the table. He would have loved this, as it would have reminded him of things he drank in the early 1970s, before things got supercharged. Special didn't have to mean over-the-top. It could mean more refined. I sat with the last glass for an hour or so, taking small sips every few minutes. I got better every sip. I'll hold my remaining bottles for a while, and then maybe open one up on my dad's birthday...with a ribeye steak.
