critic reviews
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon shows all the richness of the year in its intensely ripe, almost roasted profile. Macerated dark cherry, plum, spice, leather and licorice take shape with some air. It's hard to get past the wine's light structure and lack of dimension, both of which were baked out by the punishing year. This is challenging to taste.
Concentrated, muscular, leafy and fragrant, this is ripped with blueberry, blackberry, crushed rocks, campfire, eucalyptus and baking spice. Director of winemaking Philippe Bascaules, Todd Devincenzi winemaker.
While still in barrel at the time of my visit, the blend of the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon had been finalized, so the bottled wine should look pretty close to this. Dusty earth, black cherries and cassis mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is round and supple, soft and plush, adding baking spices and fresh cherries on the lingering finish. The 2022 vintage was the first processed in the new caves at Inglenook.
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted as a barrel sample, has 5% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Merlot in the blend. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with notes of blackcurrant jelly, redcurrant preserves, and juicy black plums leading to wafts of cardamom, sauteed herbs, and pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and with compelling purity.