From a single vineyard in Calistoga, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus isn’t far off what the estate produced in 2016. It’s a pure, full-bodied, powerful 2017 that does everything right. Loads of blueberries, cassis, Asian spice, and flowery incense define the bouquet, and it has a pure, classic, focused style on the palate. I love its purity of fruit, it has ripe, present tannins, and while it needs 2-3 years of bottle age, it’s going to evolve gracefully for 15-20 years.
JD96January 2020
A final tank blend soon to be bottled, the 2017 Amoenus Cabernet Sauvignon gives up a deep garnet-purple color an impressive array of black cherries, charcoal, mulberries, warm plums, chargrill and crème de cassis scents with hints of bay leaves, smoked meats, crushed rocks and spice cake. Full-bodied, taut and chewy in the mouth, it delivers a solid structure and a savory finish. The fruit for Maybach's Materium has been sourced from the same block of Weitz Vineyard (owned by Turnbull) in Oakville since the beginning. In 2009, fruit from another Turnbull vineyard—Amoenus Vineyard in Calistoga—was used to create this eponymous label under the Maybach name. Both wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, adeptly crafted by local superstar winemaker Thomas Brown, creating evocative expressions of the Napa Valley subregions and vineyards from where they come.
WA93July 2019