A regal, supremely, elegant wine, the 2012 is developing at a snail's pace. Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled. What a gem. Dark, seamless and quite structured at the same time, the 2012 is endowed with tremendous fruit purity and exceptional balance. Graphite, lavender and dried herbs are immediately alluring. The 2012 is just starting to open in its aromatics, but it remains a very young wine. It lacks perhaps just that extra kick of intensity found in the very best years, but it comes very close. It is one of the very finest wines in this vintage and is truly viscerally thrilling. -- Antonio Galloni

While the 2012 vintage tended to produce open-knit, fruit-driven wines, the Togni family have rendered something more serious: a bouquet of sweet cassis, black cherry, bay laurel and rich soil is judiciously framed by new oak, following onto a structured, three-dimensional and nicely balanced palate with a beautifully savoury core of fruit and refined tannins.

Rich and dense in feel, with ample weight to the mix of tobacco leaf, sage and melted licorice snap notes, followed by warm fig and blackberry reduction flavors. The fleshy feel lets everything linger on the finish, with a tarry tug at the very end. Best from 2021 through 2040. — J.M.

94+ The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of crème de cassis, licorice, mulberries and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied and elegant, it cuts a broad swath between a great Médoc and a Napa Valley Cabernet. There is still some tannin to shed, should be at its peak in 4-5 years, and drink well for 20-25 years. - Robert Parker