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Trinchero 2013 BRV Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 14.8% $80
After tasting this, I went back to my note on the 2012, which I tasted in early 2017. I maintain my stance that this remains an ambitious cuvée, but this vintage also misses the mark. Moreover, this vintage misses by a much larger margin.

Unlike its year younger sibling, this wine does not have the balance to “flourish in the bottle”, as I wondered if the 2012 might. This is a brute force of a red with astonishingly lavish oak and an aggressively extracted and chunkily muscular palate. (I couldn’t help but envision “dudes” on “Muscle Beach” in Venice Beach, California when tasting this. Everything feels exaggerated.) The flavors hover over the deeply black and raisined end of the spectrum: shriveled black currants, sloe and dried figs fight their way from underneath the sweet, toasty and chocolate-y oak. The alcohol is downright pungent, and there is no evidence of refreshment. Frankly, I’m confused as to what the winery is trying to achieve here.
Drink: Try the 2012 instead.