2012 Smith-Madrone Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is quite a bit more polished than the 2011. Ripe, voluptuous and very much in the style of the year, the 2012 is a showy wine, with plenty of intensity and resonance. At the same time, there is plenty of tannic backbone lurking beneath that gives the wine its power and overall structure. These are the first wines I have tasted from Smith Madrone and proprietor Stu Smith in some time. Smith Madrone is located on Spring Mountain, one of the most pedigreed sites for growing Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. The three vintages I tasted of the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon are all solid. (AG)