Starting with the 2012 The Bard, this incredible blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot comes from a number of great sites including To Kalon, Dr. Crane, Fortuna, and Weitz. It’s just now starting to show some maturity and has a wonderfully complex bouquet of blackcurrants, dried spices, chocolate, cedarwood, and smoke tobacco. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, sensationally textured 2012 with sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a heavenly finish. It actually reminds me slightly of the 2009 Haut Bailly! This is thrilling wine to enjoy any time over the coming 10-15 years or more.

The 2012 Proprietary Red The Bard, a 500-case blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, is meant to showcase the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes they access from such great Napa Valley sites as Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Fortuna and Weitz. Beautiful notes of pungent baking spices, licorice, melted chocolate, espresso, blackberries and cassis soar from the glass of this ostentatious, flamboyant, classic, locked-and-loaded Cabernet Sauvignon. There is some tannin lurking under the surface, but this majestic superstar behaves as if it wants to be drunk young as well as over the next 15-20 years.- RP

The 2012 The Bard is dark, fleshy and super-expressive. Dark cherry, plum lavender and spice all flesh out in a radiant, succulent wine that captures the natural radiance and seductiveness of the vintage. This is such a pretty and alluring wine. -- Antonio Galloni