Outpost Outpost Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 750ml

Wonderful spices with pine needles and dark fruit. Full-bodied and silky with fine-grained tannins and beautiful length. Attractive vanilla undertones, but not overstated. Compact and creamy. Tight at the end. Needs two or three years to open. Try after 2025, but already attractive.

Outpost’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal, sourced from around the winery, plus some barrels from the True Vineyard that didn’t make the cut for inclusion there. Just don’t call it a second wine, as it’s a beautiful effort in its own right, with wonderfully pure cassis fruit, accented with notions of vanilla and hints of dried herbs. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, with a long, dusty, tannic (but ripe) finish, try it in four or five years and drink it over the following two decades.

As for the three Cabernet releases, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has a medium to full-bodied, balanced, layered, and elegant style that just begs to be drunk. Giving up lots of blue fruits, bouquet garni, tobacco, and cedar, it will keep for 15–20 years if stored properly. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Packs in a lot of plum, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors supported by a racy graphite underpinning, with showy anise, fruitcake and Christmas pudding notes filling in for dramatic effect. Best from 2023 through 2034. 1,719 cases made. (James Molesworth)