2012 Rivers-Marie Roberto Corona Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

There hasn’t been much talk about the differentiating
factors in the vintage.  Without a lot of
consumer/professional experience with finished 2012’s, most of the talk lumps
all of Napa together into one tightly packed band.  We would proffer that the hills were a touch
better overall then the valley floor. 
The potential for concentration was higher from the beginning given
smaller berry size and thicker skins. 
There’s also a nice savory feature to the Corona that balances all of
the abundant fruit of the ’12 vintage. 
The hallmark minerality is once again front and center, but also smoke,
creosote and crushed rock add to the blackberry/blueberry fruit profile of the
wine.  A hint of anise creeps in on the
finish to further balance the abundant juiciness of the vintage.  This as always will be the one to age from
the lineup.  We are seeing the ’09 just
now begin to shed some of its youthful tannin and it looks like this wine has
the potential to be even bigger.