MacDonald Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

The soils in this part of To Kolan are rockier, and with the old vines, everything was harvested well in advance of the devastating fires in 2017. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a more Bordeaux-like austerity that's common in the vintage as well as beautiful notes of pure crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and lead pencil. Deep purple-hued, full-bodied, rich, and balanced, it has a terrific blend of power and elegance. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color. Only bottled a couple of months ago, it starts out a little broody and subdued, with coaxing earthy nuances emerge of truffles, tilled soil, underbrush and charcoal over a core of baked blackberries, plum preserves, crème de cassis and tapenade with touches of cardamom and Indian spices. Full-bodied, the palate delivers a compellingly chewy, hedonic experience of black fruit preserves and background freshness, finishing long with tons of earthy sparks.

MacDonald's 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a soft, pretty and open-knit wine that shows the modest structure of the year. All of the vineyard signatures are present, but very much in miniature. The tannins are nicely balanced and integrated. More than anything, though, I am pleasantly surprised by how well the 2017 has come along over the last year. Readers should expect a bright, tightly wound Cabernet with a good bit of energy and freshness, but less of the textural opulence of most years.