CAMERON HUGHES 10 CS LOT 400
While Cameron-Hughes doesn't own any of their own vineyards, you wouldn't know it from drinking their wines. The CH way of doing things is to buy wine from reputable producers (names you would certainly know and appreciate), and blend the wine themselves to improve what they bought! It is not oncommon for Cameron-Hughes to put the wine in their own new barrels. This is something others will not do because it increases the cost, but man-o-man...does the wine get great!The centennial lot selections (Lot #100, Lot #200, etc.) are something special; the winery always makes sure these wines come from a special producer, and the wine is always the best Cameron Hughes can do! This wine combines grapes from a great high-end producer with legendary vineyard sources in Oakville and Rutherford and grapes from Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak and the Palisades Vineyard in Calistoga. The result is a stunning wine that combines fruit from some of the best vineyards in Napa Valley to create an uber-cuvee that, for me, is the archtype of great Napa Valley Cabernet. While Lot 400 is certainly a candidate for your cellar, it will be a worthy accompaniment to your table now!
Gorgeous aromas of kirsch liqueur, crushed blue/black berries and graphite are framed with sweet toasty oak. On the palate, dense texture and perfectly rich fruit (Rutherford and Oakville) contrasts nicely with the fresh impact of mountain minerality (Atlas Peak). Crushed plum, violets and white flowers vie for attention all supported by ripe, mouth-coating tannins. Superb length and penetrating fruit are focused and intense with tremendous persistence and balance.
