Solid effort here from this Sonoma producer, with a layered wine that offers notes of currants, raspberry, and Christmas spices up front. A bitter edge winds through some distinct vanilla notes before settling down for a somewhat racy, almost peppery character on the finish — a nice counterpart to the denser, almost macerated fruit notes up front. I like the way this wine showcases two sides, but works well as a balanced whole. A great food wine, too.

A- / $25

2013 Fortress Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

$25

9

Rating

9.0/10

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