The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan (only 25% of the normal production or 250 cases were made) offers a remarkable suppleness and velvety character to the tannins. Despite being 100% Cabernet Sauvignon you would almost swear this was a Merlot-based wine from one of the finest vineyards in Pomerol given its lusciousness and appeal. This spectacular 2010 possesses abundant creamy creme de cassis notes intermixed with notions of mulberries and spicy oak and a broad, expansive, savory appeal with decent acidity as well as ripe tannin. As in nearly every vintage, this 2010 can be drunk early yet has the uncanny intensity and overall harmony to age effortlessly. We still don’t know how long this wine will last since the first vintage was only in 2000, which was not one of Napa’s greatest years. The 2010 should hold up for at least 20-30 years.

Proprietor Jayson Woodbridge, one of the wine world’s most compelling, outspoken, irreverent, bigger-than-life personalities, can get away with just about anything he wants to say or do simply because year after year he proves what great wine is all about from his 15-acre Kayli Morgan Vineyard east of St. Helena, his 15-acre parcel on Howell Mountain, and another vineyard on the upslope of the Eisele Vineyard (recently acquired by Chateau Latour in Pauillac), called Few and Far Between. Woodbridge was recently profiled in a wonderful graphic wine magazine called “Loam Baby,” and may have set a Guiness Book World record for the number of times the word “F***” was used in that interview. I first met Woodbridge, who hales from Canada, when he released his first vintage, 2000, which is still going strong and showing more staying power than I would ever have imagined even though I loved the wine from the beginning. It remains a sensational wine at age 13. He currently has six cuvees of Cabernet Sauvignon, the Kayli Morgan Vineyard, the Arc Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Few and Far Between Vineyard in Calistoga near the Eisele Vineyard, a wine called Deep Time which spends considerably more time in barrel than its siblings, a wine called Precious, and depending on his mood, another wine called Fortunate Son. He also makes a hedonistic, attractive Pinot Noir from the Stanly Vineyard called Cherry Pie, and he has had enormous success with the high quality yet bargain-basement priced selections from around the world called Layer Cake. The Few and Far Between Vineyard is a 5-acre parcel on what Woodbridge calls the “upside of the Eisele Vineyard.” The only blend in his portfolio, this cuvee includes 15% Cabernet Franc. The first vintage was 2008, and this is another exceptional wine, with the 2010 achieving perfection and the 2012 capable of doing so. I only tasted two vintages of the Precious cuvee made from Woodbridge’s favorite barrels. Normally he limits production to 100 or so cases, which would be four barrels. I only tasted one vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time because it spends up to 40 months in barrel and almost becomes like a great chef’s reduction sauce because of evaporation. It is normally a selection from the Kayli Morgan Vineyard. It is a remarkable wine, but very little is available.

Robert Parker | 97 RP

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(15.5% alcohol): Bright ruby-red. Multidimensional nose combines black raspberry, blackberry, menthol, licorice, lavender and mint, complicated by truffle and sexy oak notes and a whiff of citrus fruit. Tactile, densely packed and savory, communicating a powerful mineral salinity, like wet earth after a rain, but also compelling sweetness. Penetrating and sharply delineated but still extremely backward. Finishes firmly tannic, fresh and long, with a whiplash of flavor and terrific lift. Remarkable wine in the making--and likely to be long-lived.

Vinous Media | 96+ VM

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Firm, intense and vibrant, with a rich, dense core of dried currant and dark berry, showing touches of mocha and espresso. Ends with rich, chewy tannins that give the flavors traction, revealing a burst of red candy. Best from 2014 through 2026. 600 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 93 WS

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