Artesa Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (75cl, 14.2%)

A full-bodied Napa Valley red wine from Artesa Vineyards & Winery, made with 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. The grapes are hand-picked during cool nighttime and dawn hours, cold soaked for three days, then given an extended 30-day skin maceration before ageing for eight months in French oak barrels, half of them new. It is bottled at 14.2% ABV in a 750ml bottle. The nose brings ripe blackberry and blueberry, dried fig and a hint of white pepper, with clove and vanilla from the oak. The palate is plush and fruit-forward, with blackberry, black cherry, plum and mocha over a velvety tannin framework, finishing medium-long with dark chocolate and gentle oak toast.