2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve

This is a solid set of new releases from Todd Anderson and his team headed by winemaker Robert Hunt and Estate Manager Josh Luhn. The 2012s are racy, open wines with distinctly red-toned profiles, while the 2013s are darker, more powerful wines that will require time in bottle. I was also quite pleased with the 2011s, which are largely living up to my early praise. My only concern is the Chardonnay which is proving to be a wine that shows well early, but that does not develop particularly well in bottle.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Conn Valley this year. The wines are often terrific, but at the same time, they have also occasionally suffered from the presence of brett, something that can add character up to a certain point when it starts to mask the fruit. Under the guidance of new winemaker Robert Hunt the Conn Valley wines seem cleaner, purer and much more expressive, all great things for those of us who love these wines. Conn Valley fans will note an addition to the range with 2012, the Merlot Signature, which now sits next to the Cabernet Sauvignon Signature at the top of the lineup. It is going to be exciting to see how things develop at Conn Valley over the next few years. We may very well be at the beginning of a new chapter for this distinguished, Napa Valley estate.