2012 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains, USA

An extremely elegant wine and restrained at first on the nose. This bottling eventually shows gravel and crushed rocks, with hints of blackberry and forest underbrush also emerging. A very firm structure weaves together an incredibly well-integrated wine, with dense mulberry and dried-fennel notes that morph into crushed herbs with time.

The Mount Eden Vineyards was founded by wine-pioneer Martin Ray in 1943. Located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains, the approximate altitude here of 2000 feet (610m) above sea level creates an ideal microclimate for viticulture. The infertile shale soil type is also well-suited to the Burgundy varieties that are planted here.

In the winery, Mount Eden employs natural yeasts during fermentation. and the wines are aged in a combination of new and old French oak barrels before bottling.

95 points John Gilman

The very soon to be released Mount Eden cabernet sauvignon is an absolutely classic in the making. It is a tad less ripe than the lovely 2011 version, coming in at an even thirteen percent octane and offering up a very pure and nascently complex bouquet of black cherries, a touch of eucalyptus, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, lavender and a nice, judicious framing of nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with excellent focus and grip, ripe, seamless tannins and outstanding length on the very refined, youthful and impeccably balanced finish. This is an old school bottle of cabernet in the very best sense of the term, with great potential that is simply waiting for the passing of time to blossom and shine. But it is properly structured out of the blocks and will need time in the cellar to start to really drink with generosity. It should prove to be very long-lived, once it reaches its plateau of maturity.

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot) is beautiful. Giving up lots of black and blue fruits, tobacco leaf, sweet oak and graphite, this fabulous Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet is medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and focused, with fine tannin and impeccable balance. It shows its class on the lengthy finish as well.

94 points Vinous

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, intense wine that tastes much riper than the 13% stated on the label. Black cherry jam, plum, game, mocha, licorice and dark spices are all pushed forward. I would prefer to give the 2012 at least a few years in bottle to shed some baby fat.

93 points Wine & Spirits

Like the 2012 Monte Bello grown one ridge to the north, the 2012 Mount Eden Cabernet is surprisingly open and welcoming in its youth. It has the mountains’ characteristic black olive and rosemary scents, but presents them in a polished, gently buffed texture that’s already delicious, its firmness implicit rather than explicit. You could decant this now for lamb, although its savory tones should take on more complexity with ten years in bottle.

92 points Decanter

Dense brambly blackcurrant nose with lots of aromatic punch. Rich, ripe, and seductive, with sweet intense fruit of considerable purity. This has finesse, line, and poise, and good acidity on the finish; classically structured.