2022 The Black Square The Rocks District Milton-Freewater Cabernet Sauvignon

***No. 5 in the Top 100 Wines of 2025*** As black as squid ink, The Black Square is balance personified. A concentrated blackberry aroma seems as dark as the wine's name, with equally dark espresso, olive and charred steak notes joining it in the abyss. A dark plum and ripe boysenberry flavor combo is accompanied by traces of salty Mission olives, wet slate and silky smooth tannins. The one bright feature illuminating the way is the wine's amped-up acidity. None so black.

An undeniably elegant Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rocks District, crafted by Todd Alexander of Holocene in the Willamette Valley. This is a wine of umami, savoury depth, medium-bodied, with crushed dried violets, black olive, smoke and hot stone aromas. The palate shows refinement, and a delicate darkness ripples across the palate with a beautiful feral disposition. Notes of struck iron, dark forest tones, and crushed-stone minerality all frame a lingering note of wild fruits, chopped mint, and wild herbs. A wine that challenges your expectations of American Cabernet Sauvignon.