Solid structure in this wine for a 2017 with spice, tobacco, berries and hints of dark chocolate. Medium to full body. Velvety and chewy tannins. Creamy texture. Serious finish. Needs three to four years to come together. Try after 2023

Coming from a co-ferment from two separate sites, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon OV|SL is a terrific 2017 that has remarkable purity as well as balance. Giving up lots of cassis, white flowers, graphite, and obvious minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and silky tannins. It’s a slam dunk of a 2017 that’s going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years or more

The OV/SL is a blend of fruit from Futo's two estate properties in Stags Leap and Oakville. The first vintage of this wine was 2012. Picking in 2017 started in August and went on through Labor Day weekend. Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Proprietary Red OV/SL gives up notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, redcurrants and black raspberries with hints of pencil lead, cedar chest and menthol plus a faint hit of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals wonderfully vibrant, energetic fruit with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and mineral laced.

The 2017 Futo OV SL is a dense, powerful wine. This vintage is decidedly brooding in style, with more virile intensity than in the past and less of the sensuality that is typically known to be a signature here. In particular, the tannins are coarse, which gives the wine a rough-around-the-edges feel. In recent years, the OV SL has approached the level of the dual flagships, but this is not true of the 2017 vintage, which has firmed up a bit during aging. Perhaps that is a result of its recent bottling. It will be interesting to see what happens with a bit more time in bottle.