Rian Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

A top flight of Cimarossa while visiting the winery last month, all were great but the 2018 Rian really struck me. Purity, elegance, structure, allied with density, complexity and length. Black currants, blackberry, cherry, graphite, and spice. I have been a long time admirer of their wines, especially the best ever from outside Italy nebbiolo they make called Foglet. Mia Klein makes these beauties and you can't get them anywhere except from the winery.

For my profile, I think I like Ponente first, followed by Rian, then Levante. Cimarossa is such an under the radar producer on Howell Mtn. The visit alone is worth a trip out!

If I tried this blind, I think I’d say this is valley floor fruit. I followed this over two days and it showed such ripe, fresh squeezed fruit in my glass…the fruit dominated everything (but don’t think that means it was flabby or too sweet). It didn’t show much Howell Mtn bite on the finish or the dark, rustic profile they normally sport. Dark blueberries and blackberries, black currant, mocha, licorice up front with a core of mixed berry pie. I often get a clay and herbal flair with these wines but not here. Primary. I’d hold another few years.

Knowing this was 2013 + mountain fruit, I knew even at 8yrs this was going to be young, so I hoped an hour and a half double decant would help. It did, as this wine came and went in waves, but this really blossomed on day two. To me, these wines consistently show a red clay type character to them. It’s very dark fruit dominant on the nose, with charcoal, mocha, and herbal spice. On the palate the red clay comes out with added notes of char-grilled black cherry pie, dark chocolate, mineral core, and a savory tobacco leaf finish that popped up on day two. Dense on the mid palate but the finish has so much going on here. I’d hold for another 3yrs, but it’s pretty solid now if you can double decant for a few hours.

Howell Mountain opulence, open knit with sweet round red and purple fruit. Soft tannins and so silky smooth with noticeable depth. This was still drinking superbly two days after pop.

Prunes, plums, black currants, cedar, tobacco, motor oil. Elegant and integrated.

This was my contribution today. I remember this, along with the ‘14 Cimarossa Ponente were the wines of the tasting when we visited Cimarossa in February. Another example of a quality winery churching our wonderful wine in a tough vintage.

You could maybe, MAYBE, pick this out as an ‘11 if you’d had it before. Dense, powerful and complex. There is a red clay driven note here that moves everything along. Blackberry, basil & cardamom on the nose. Young on the palate...years to go. Definitely showing notes of tar, slate and pipe tobacco. Dusty.

En Magnum. Maybe one of my favorite Cimarossa wines to date. I’ve learned that these wines need time but the ‘11 is an oddity - the first glass out of the bottle was singing. This was rich and coated the glass in dark purple. While dark black and blue fruits were front and center there were notes of dried herbs and gravel -which gave it an almost old world quality. The tannins were chewy and there was decent acidity making it a perfect match for rigatoni bolognese.

This is awesome! Blue fruits and just amazing balance and smoothness. Do a quick decant and enjoy. I want to drink this every day!

This wine is at the top. Nose of red clay, red fruits, black fruit on the nose. Hint of charcoal grilled filet. Herbs. Blood. Iodine. Perfumed power. Entry is full bodied, soft, round. Black and blue fruit with some red clay. Black cherry cola. Truffle. Darker middle with more of a fig influence. Finishes with noteworthy black pepper, softened and still sweeter cedar tannin. Candied plum. Holy moley. 96 without batting an eye. Yet strangely astringent finish even in the final seconds leading one to wonder: is this going to improve? I guess the last of these will be held for a year to answer that question!

Dark purple - almost black - in the glass, this is presenting a more savory side of Cabernet at the moment. Smokey minerals and a touch of bell pepper all wrapped in tannins with an almost chalky quality to it. Black fruits/plum flavors are in the background. I know this description may make it sound like an unpleasant wine, but it was quite enjoyable - and likely will be even more so in another 3 years or so.