The OV/SL is a blend of fruit from Futo's two estate properties in Stags Leap and Oakville. The first vintage of this wine was 2012. Picking in 2017 started in August and went on through Labor Day weekend. Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Proprietary Red OV/SL gives up notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, redcurrants and black raspberries with hints of pencil lead, cedar chest and menthol plus a faint hit of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals wonderfully vibrant, energetic fruit with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and mineral laced.
James Suckling (97)
This is a wine with wonderful tannin outline that gives it precision and refinement. Full body, very polished and brilliant. Fine grain texture. Very pretty and classic in every sense of the word. Needs at least three or four years to come together. But already wonderful. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc.
BOW (8.75)
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
Coming from a co-ferment from two separate sites, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon OV|SL is a terrific 2017 that has remarkable purity as well as balance. Giving up lots of cassis, white flowers, graphite, and obvious minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and silky tannins. It’s a slam dunk of a 2017 that’s going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years or more.
