2012 Futo, 5500 Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District 1x750ml

Robert Parker 99

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 5500 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot bottled unfined and unfiltered after 18-20 months in oak. Futo practices long lees contact, five-day prefermentation cold soak and only one racking, which is when the barrels are racked directly into the tank prior to bottling. This is a stunning wine, and it was not easy to back off a perfect score, but maybe that will come with another several years of bottle age. The wine has profound intensity, amazing purity and clarity, an inky bluish/purple color, a stunning nose of spring flowers interwoven with creme de cassis, background charcoal, smoldering embers, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. It has an incredible lightness of being, despite its exceptional intensity and richness. This is an amazing wine and a great example of Stags Leap. It should drink well for 30+ years. [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 28/10/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2015-2045