Gallica 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is drop-dead gorgeous. Floral and expressive, the 2011 graces the palate with savory herbs, mint, red berries and flowers. The 2011 is all about nuance, complexity and understatement. The style is bright, high-toned and distinctly mineral, which is to say totally different from the richer, bigger 2010, but equally compelling. Rosemary Cakebread did a fabulous job with her 2011. The 2011 is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, mostly from Oakville and St. Helena. The Petit Verdot is from a site in Coombsville. In 2011, Cakebread took the wine off the skins earlier than normal and used a little less new oak than is typically the case.

Score: 94 points -- Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Nov 2013