Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (750ML)

98 WA / 95 VM / 16.5 JR

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Upchurch Vineyard is mostly clone 2 with clone 198. Blended with 9% Merlot, the wine opens to a fresh and opulent nose with a juicy frame that offers a dynamic, pure and focused expression with layers of complexity, healthy fruit and ripe oak tones that sing harmoniously in unison. Full-bodied, the palate is fresh, balanced and succulently ripe, with a balanced structure, juicy acidity and fine-grained tannins, offering tremendous pleasure and a food-friendly finish. Give it time. This might be the best vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon Upchurch Vineyard that I have tasted. The wine aged for 20 months in 90% new French oak barrels. Only 6,300 bottles were produced of this pure, layered and complex Cabernet.—Anthiny Mueller, The Wine Advocate

Hauntingly dark and intense, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Upchurch Vineyard, from the estate Upchurch Vineyard, smolders up with a whiff of sweet berries that evolves into a blend of dusty sage, mint and just a hint of tangerine. This is undeniably elegant—nearly creamy in feel— yet lively and fresh, with vividly ripe blueberry and cherry tones complicated by a mineral tinge toward the close. It finishes long and dramatic, leaving sweet violet pastille and chalky tannins that further enhance the experience. The 2020 leaves the mouth watering for more. What a darling, and a total outlier in the 2020 vintage. This shows lovely
balance for a long evolution. -- Eric Guido. Vinous Media