2012 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve Napa Valley 750 ml

2012 Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate Reserve — 93-95 points … “Thrilling Cabernet Sauvignon”

The more we taste of the 2012 and 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, the more we’re reminded of the comparison between the herculean 2009 and 2010 vintages in Bordeaux. While Napa’s 2013s and Bordeaux’s 2010s are more high-toned and more laser-like in structure and focus, for sheer hedonism in a bottle, the Médoc’s 2009s and Napa’s 2012s are unequaled. Not surprisingly, the 2012 Anderson’s Conn Valley Reserve is the richest and most hedonistic young Cabernet ever to come off this historic estate.

High above St. Helena, where Conn Creek flows off Howell Mountain, the Anderson family has been crafting phenomenally rich and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons since the late 1980s. But despite knockout performances in nearly every vintage from 1996-2011, we have never tasted an Anderson’s Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve of such richness and opulence as the 2012. Here’s why.

Typically, these rocky, volcanic soil hillsides eke out a very small crop. But the spring of 2012 was exceptional — dry and warm, making for one of the largest fruit sets in decades. Lesser growers took full advantage, opting to let all the bunches hang, hoping to repair tattered balance sheets in a single harvest.

But the Napa Valley elite — the likes of Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, Anderson’s Conn Valley, Colgin, and Phelps (“Insignia”) dropped crop even more aggressively than they’d done in the past. Two “green” harvests, coupled with a magnificent summer — temperatures were mild, but barely a drop of rain fell between June and August — left just 4 tons per acre of succulent Cabernet Sauvignon at Anderson’s Conn Valley. The call to harvest came early to preserve natural acidity. Even so, natural sugars measured nearly 26 Brix, even as acids and tannins remained firm.

Is 2012 the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve in the history of this venerable estate? It’s too early to say. When Napa Cabernets are this rich, plushly textured, and opulent out of the gate, packed with such black-fruit intensity, it’s difficult to evaluate the tannic underpinnings and, as a result, the wine’s longevity. But given Anderson’s Conn Valley’s history of producing extraordinarily long-living Reserves, it’s hard to imagine that patient collectors won’t reap handsome rewards in the early- to mid-2020s.

The 2012 Anderson’s Conn Valley Estate Reserve is a thrilling bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Opaque purple, infused with savory aromas of ultra-juicy dark-red berries, mint, tobacco, and graphite. Velvet in texture. Terrifically concentrated, plush, and dense, featuring gobs of blackberry and mountain blueberry preserves, blackcurrant, a splash of crème de cassis. Drink now if you’re impatient, or far better, do as we’re doing and lay this world-class Cabernet Sauvignon down for a decade … or two.

93-95 points from the notoriously stingy Antonio Galloni. $85 on release. Just $58 this morning on WineAccess — the BEST PRICE IN AMERICA. Last Call. Shipping included on 4.