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Star Lane 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Dierberg Star Lane Vineyard Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara $50 14.4%
I recall putting the 2006 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc Dierberg on the wine list at JG Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona, when I was the Director of Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. I had tasted the Sauvignon Blancs of Star Lane plenty of times, so I can’t fathom today why I have no recollection of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Maybe the Cabernet Sauvignon was always harder to get a sample of, so distributor wine reps tended to show the Sauvignon Blanc more often?

Whatever! I was very happy to taste the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon just recently. It’s a bear of a wine with massive intensity of sap and sinew. It’s fun to taste, but it would be better off being socked away for two to three years at a minimum to allow the flavors to flesh out and the backbone to soften. For now, it’s riddled with blackcurrants, black plum skin and barbecued beef tones. Its tannins are surprisingly easy-going, but there is plenty of grip and fresh support to keep this wine vibrant for a while.
Drink: 2018-2026

One of the things I love most about Star Lane is that the owner created this Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara property with a 250-year vision. What has happened with this property in the first two decades is highly promising. I wish I could witness where it will be in another 230 years!