Peter Michael Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis 2019 (750ML)

99 JS / 97 VM / 97 JD / 97 DE / 97 JA / 97 WI / 96 WA

Aromas of spice, ink, blackberries and currants. Very aromatic! Full-bodied, yet so tight and fresh with firm, velvety tannins. The beautiful center-palate of fruit is so enticing and the finish goes on for minutes. Coolness at the end with blue fruit. Stunning really. Give it time, if you can keep your hands off it. 76% cabernet sauvignon, 16% cabernet franc, and 8% merlot. Best after 2025. - James Suckling

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is elite. Bright and aromatic, with terrific delineation, the 2019 is a fabulous yet embryonic wine that just needs time to flesh out. The energy and drive here are remarkable, as is the expression of this vineyard in the Eastern Hills of Oakville. Dark red/purplish fruit, spice, lavender, sage, mint and rose petal lend quite a bit of nuance. In a vintage in which so many wines are all about immediacy and overtness, Au Paradis is a wine for the future.—Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Hailing from Oakville, the 2019 Au Paradis is nuanced, with ripe redcurrant, fresh tobacco, and sweet baking spice. The palate is fully dry and has lift through its dark fruited profile. The midpalate is flush with roses and ripe red plum, giving way to a well-balanced, tannic structure. Drink 2024-2044 -Jeb Dunnuck

Rich and intense, quite highly spiced and potent on the nose. Powerful and precise, blackcurrant dominant with black cherry and plum fruit. This is supremely lifted and full of life. I love the minerality here, the sense of style and the juiciness. It feels playful yet at the same time full of flavour and nunce. The flavours expand in the mouth, lightly but deeply, there's no heaviness here. Quite a pure expression where you feel the sense of place in the cooler aspects - juicy, succulent, mouthwatering, but it's the definition and the precision that gets me, it's so moreish, so well worked and smooth. Just a joy to drink and will get even better in time. Great ageing potential. I love it! Ageing 18 months in 100% French oak barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

A deeper, richer, more powerful wine than Les Pavots, as we head over the top of the mountain and down again into Napa. This has gorgeous grip, perfectly judged, bringing Sonoma sensibility into a prime Napa site. Packed with punch, juicy blackberry and black cherry fruit, impressively controlled, confident but not shouting to be heard. Excpetional quality, one to track down and celebrate after a few more years ageing. 100% new oak, bought in 2009 by Peter Michael, first vintage 2011. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2019 Au Paradis is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with flamboyant scents of redcurrant preserves, warm cassis, and fresh blackberries, with wafts of cedar, dried mint, and tar plus a hint of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers bright, energetic, black and red fruit with loads of earthy sparks and ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with great length and vibrancy. Some of the plantings at this vineyard date back to 1984. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

In 2009, Peter Michael purchased the former Showket Vineyard in Oakville, on the hillside below Continuum and above Dalla Valle. That is the source for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot. Matured in 60% new French oak, it's a fairly forward, opulent wine, marked by scents of cigar box, tobacco, cassis, cherries and fine leather. Full-bodied, rich and velvety without being chocolaty or overdone, the lingering finish is—texturally—plush winter-weight flannel pajamas interwoven with complex, faintly herbal threads. -- Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate