Realm Houyi 2017

Also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon yet from Pritchard Hill, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard offers a massive blast of blue fruits, crushed violets, spice box, and new leather. This beauty comes from a site next to David Arthur and has a ripe, rounded, and incredibly sexy style that belies its mountain terroir. Still, it has plenty of underlying tannins, impeccable balance, and one seriously long finish. Give it a year or so and drink bottles over the following 2-3 decades.

One-hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Nine Suns property, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard Pritchard Hill has a deep purple-black color, revealing quite a lifted nose of Morello cherries, black raspberries and warm cassis with hints of roses, clove oil and balsamic. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of ripe, juicy fruit, supported by firm, grainy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and compellingly fruity. I

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi VIneyard is very young and in need of time to be at its best. Today, it is boisterous and forward, but also not fully put together. Then again, this is a pretty rugged site. Black cherry, plum, grilled herbs, chocolate, leather, licorice and lavender are front and center in this decidedly brooding, potent Cabernet.