Inglenook Cask Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2012

 This is the wine our California editor Luke Sykora wanted to drink, and tasting it side by side with Rubicon, I had to admit that it showed beautifully. Cask is 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance mostly Cabernet franc and a little Merlot. In the past, the team at Inglenook described the difference between their two top Cabernets as Rubicon presenting the riper black fruits of Rutherford, and Cask focusing on red fruits. In 2012, the situation for me was reversed; Cask had the darker fruit at our tasting, still cool in tone and not heavily extracted. It brought out a rocky, stony firmness in the tannins, where Cabernet grape-skin freshness matched the monumental feel of the oak impact. These are fascinating wines to taste in tandem over the course of several hours with friends…and over the course of several days, if you have a bit left in the bottles.