2010 Oberon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Another winner is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Composed of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with other Bordeaux varietals, it offers up notes of black currants, vanilla, tobacco leaf, cedar and spice box. Ripe, rich and medium-bodied, with loads of fruit and a heady finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 3-4 years. (10/ 2012)

Oberon sourced grapes for their 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon bottling from select vineyards across the Napa Valley. Fruit from both volcanic hillside sites and alluvial valley sites impart an equilibrium that includes the terroirs of Rutherford, Oak Knoll, and Oberon's estate Oso Vineyard in the northeastern end of the valley. However, it is the winemaking that is perhaps the most impressive feature at this price level. The grapes were hand-harvested and the wine aged for 18 months in 47% new French oak, which is unheard of for under $20 for a Napa Valley Cabernet. Even machine-harvested Cabernet aged in old (and non-French) barrels typically costs more if it reads "Napa" on the label. This bottling has not gone unrecognised, as it was the top-rated Cabernet in Robert Parker's "California Values" feature published in Wine Advocate in October, 2012.