Continuum Proprietory Red Blend Napa Valley

This is so aromatic with blackcurrant, blackberry, graphite, iron, pine bark and orange peel. Hints of wild sage and peppermint. Seductive perfumes. Full-bodied with extremely well-integrated tannins that have great length. Elegant firmness at the finish. The quality of the tannins is some of the best I have had in a young Continuum. Seamless silk. Great finish. 45% cabernet sauvignon, 35% cabernet franc, 11% merlot and 9% petit verdot. Best after 2027.

The 2021 Continuum Sage Mountain Vineyard remains quite imposing and tightly wound, but it has finally started to soften. Black/purplish fruit, new leather, cloves, chocolate, gravel and dried herbs add to an impression of virile intensity.

A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot, Continuum's 2021 Proprietary Red offers up slightly floral aromas, plus ample cherries and raspberries on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured, framed by fine-grained tannins that lend a silky texture to the long, elegant finish. It saw about 60% new French oak (the balance was second-use barrels), but the oak is barely noticeable.

This captures gorgeous flavors of mulberry, blackberry and boysenberry compote and infuses them with sparkling anise, sage and singed wood spice notes, while iron minerality and racy acidity provide ample structure, with mouthwatering cut. A distinctive version that should evolve nicely in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. (JM)