To Kalon Vineyard Co. Highest Beauty Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (750ML)

98 JS / 97 WS / 97 JD

Highest Beauty’s winemaker, Andy Erickson had the enormous task of following in the footsteps of Heidi Peterson Barrett at  Screaming Eagle in 2006. Erickson started his winemaking career at Harlan Estate and was then named winemaker at Staglin in 2001 before founding his own winery, Favia, in 2003 with his viticulturist wife, Annie Favia.  Besides his career  at Screaming Eagle and Favia, he has been consulting winemaker for Hartwell, Ovid, Dancing Hares, Dalla Valle and Arietta in Napa and Jonata in the Santa Ynez Valley. Andy and Annie have most recently establish their own winery, Leviathon.

Black olives, blackberries and blackcurrants, as well as asphalt, lead pencil, crushed stone and oyster shell. Full-bodied with chewy and juicy tannins that are spread across the palate. Fuller and more flavorful than the 2018. Plush and dry, velvety texture. This needs at least five years to open. Try after 2027. —James Suckling

Boasting tiers of cassis, plum, mulberry and black cherry fruit stacked on one another, this towering example relies on purity and focus as much as power, thanks to racy yet deeply embedded acidity as well as enticing violet and iron notes that fill in throughout. Rather than just lingering, the fruit ripples with underlying energy on the lengthy finish. Outright gorgeous. Best from 2024 through 2040. 550 cases made.-James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Compared to the 2018, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Highest Beauty is broader and more opulent, with a massive, full-bodied style as well as velvety tannins, lots of spicy, classy background oak, both red and black fruits, and a great mid-palate. I slightly prefer the vibrancy and focus of the 2018, but these are both brilliant wines that show the quality and style of their vintages, as well as their terroir. The 2019 is already accessible, but I have no doubt it will evolve for 20 years.--Jeb Dunnuck