2013 Relic Wine Cellars Artefact Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

(94 Points)  --  (Wine Advocate)

The blockbuster 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Artefact was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak and comes completely from the Kenefick Ranch, which is adjacent to the Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga. Opaque purple and full-bodied, it offers up notes of pen ink, graphite, blackberry and cassis as well as some background toasty oak, baking spice box, licorice, and some loamy soil undertones. This big, rich, intense wine should hit its prime in about 4-5 years and last 20 or more. Another long-aging wine, and one with probably 50 years of evolution ahead of it (RP).   Review Date: 12/2015