Aromas of dark fruit, such as blackberries and black olives, as well as black tea and tanned leather. Raspberries and lemon spices, too. Full-bodied, very tight and polished with beautiful tannins and a weave of fruit and acidity to beautifully buttress the whole wine. Balanced and bright for the vintage. Drink in 2020 and onwards.

From the first sip this is silky rich and vibrant, full of dark chocolate and brushed velvet textures of damson and bilberry alongside toasted oak with rosemary and sage spice. There are still a few years ahead before it starts to fully open for drinking, with tight tannins and eucalyptus emphasising its youth right now. 2015 was a short growing season, with a small crop that saw about 30% less yields than the year before, so just 1,000 cases. This is the fourth vintage of Christian Moueix's newest Napa estate (bought in 2008 but with replanting the first vintage was only released in 2012), and the first one where the vines are starting to take on a little age and to respond to the intensive work on the soils. 50% new oak.

Made by the team at Dominus, yet from a slightly different terroir that’s more draining and slightly lesser density plantings, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It’s a vibrant, elegant wine that has an exotic character in its blue fruits, gravelly minerality, dried herbs, and savory forest floor aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, with good concentration and integrated acidity, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age to come together and is a beautiful wine.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon remains relatively primary, with cedar and vanilla notes atop cherry and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, it's smooth, rich and supple, concentrated but finessed, finishing long and silky, adding touches of dark chocolate, mocha and licorice. This looks capable of aging for at least another 20 years, but it's far from being inaccessible now. - Joe Czerwinski

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful, deep wine. Dark-toned fruit, leather, incense, tobacco, dried herbs and graphite are boldly sketched. Broad swaths of tannin envelop the palate, providing an ample frame as the 2015 gradually begins to open with air. This has aged quite well. In fact, it still retains considerable textural intensity and concentration. Readers can look forward to another decade of exceptional drinking. -- Antonio Galloni

From the Ulysses Vineyard in Oakville, and blended with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine impresses in earthy sage, clove, cedar and tobacco. Old World in style, it has appealing aspects of crushed rock and structured tannin, with just a hint of dark chocolate and currant. Best 2025–2030.

This is well-fruited, though it tilts toward red on the spectrum, with cassis, plum and cherry compote notes forming the core, while the polished structure, a kiss of apple wood, and lingering flashes of tobacco and alder mark the finish. Offers a finishing kick, so there’s a touch more evolution to occur. -- Blind 2015 California Cabernet retrospective (July 2025). Drink now through 2038. - JM