Reif Estate First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

The fruit was hand-harvested from the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard block planted in 1989 in the Niagara River sub-app and thinned to a restricted 2 tonnes per acre. After fermentation was complete the wine moved into new French and new Hungarian oak barrels where the wine completed malolactic fermentation and aged for 30 months. It has a powerful and seductive nose of ripe black currants, blackberries, plums, cassis, graphite, sandalwood, mocha, leather and wonderful spice aromas. All that carries to the palate and more, with an array of dark berries including concentrated currants and cassis with kirsch, rich spice notes, polished tannins and complex layers of ripe fruit that all lead to a long, energetic finish. This wine was delicious when opened for the initial tasting, but was improved greatly a day later. I suggest it will improve for 10 years plus in your cellar. The best Cabernet Sauvingon I have tasted from Niagara. Score – 94. (Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, Nov. 4, 2019)