2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Phase V

I have been following Davis Estates for a number of years. In the past, I have felt the wines were a bit lacking in polish. Certainly the 2015 growing season presented significant challenges to producers who tend to make big wines as the drought and tiny yields accentuated the richness of the year to the point of giving wines with coarse tannins. The 2016s are on another level entirely. A new winery, a bit of a lighter hand and the natural quality of the vintage elevate the wines. Hopefully the 2016s set a new bar for what is possible here. To be sure, these Calistoga wines are likely to always be quite potent on their own. That natural tendency seems to work best when it is tempered somewhat, rather than pushed over the top.