| Score: |
94 RP.
"The late-release 2013 Faultline Vineyard is an intriguing blend of 63% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot from their 25-acre amphitheater vineyard, which is dominated by terraces largely consisting of rocky/loamy/clay soils. This wine has a gorgeously voluptuous texture and is really a sleeper selection. Aged in 60% new French oak prior to being bottled unfiltered, the wine has loads of berry fruit, a touch of tobacco leaf, licorice, Asian soy, and some blueberry, black raspberry and dark cherry fruit. Layered and impressively constituted, this luscious wine should drink beautifully for another 20+ years. The impressive 28-acre amphitheater Skipstone Estate Vineyard sits between two hillsides in the Alexander Valley. I’ve noticed over the past 10 to 15 years how the quality of Alexander Valley Bordeaux blends has jumped impressively. This is just one more example of high-quality wines that are made from Bordeaux varietals produced, not in Napa Valley, but in Alexander Valley." Wine Advocate #227, Oct 2016 |