The 2017 Soul Of A Lion is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. It has a deep ruby-purple color and wonderfully unique expression, with scents of forest floor, underbrush, English breakfast tea, espresso, blackcurrant bud, dark chocolate and exotic flowers mingling over a core of perfectly ripe wild blackberries and Morello cherries, all complemented by a classy framing of new oak spices. The medium to full-bodied palate is slow to unfurl, with a frame like liquid silk and a very long finish that gives up layer after layer of nuanced flavors. Wow!

nky ruby. Primary dark berry, cherry pit and pipe tobacco aromas are complemented by hints of vanillin oak, mocha and baking spices. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering sweet black cherry and cassis flavors and suggestions of dark chocolate, espresso and vanilla. Becomes smokier with air and finishes with superb clarity and strong, spicy persistence. (raised in new French oak barrels for 22 months)

Both vintages of the Soul of a Lion are stunning. The 2017 Soul Of A Lion offers a forward, bona fide fruit bomb style yet has plenty of class. A sweet nose of cassis, Asian spice, cedar box, and chocolate gives way to a full-bodied, hedonistic 2017 that stays balanced and layered. This cuvée always delivers and the 2017 is just an incredible drink.