2012 Lithic

Helen Keplinger is back to making Cabernet Sauvignon for a few consulting clients in Napa Valley, but here the focus is on Rhône varieties, where she clearly has a magic touch. Keplinger's 2012s have turned out beautifully. The wines are rich, sumptuous and deeply expressive, with notable complexity, and personality to burn. I also tasted the 2013s from preliminary blends. As is the case in this vintage, the wines tends toward the darker end of the spectrum, yet retain notable brightness. All signs point to another strong vintage. In 2013, Keplinger added a Syrah from Hudson to her already impressive range, so there is a lot to look forward to. As always, the wines are aged in mostly neutral oak, which really allows for fruit, texture and site specific nuance to shine.

"Sonoma County got slammed by the early October storms in 2011," said Helen Keplinger in March, adding that her vine sources on well-drained rocky soils generally yielded the most successful wines. She did not buy the fruit that normally produces her Kingpin Rows bottling, owing to rot. Keplinger's recently bottled 2012s (some of the wines will not be released until the fall) show the aromatic perfume that characterizes her style and have a bit more stuffing and sweetness than the '11s. Only the Lithic and Sumo bottlings saw any new oak.