Dunn Vineyards, Cabermet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Howell

It’s important to be discriminating as this was a challenging vintage and the wines are very uneven, but I’m something of a connoisseur of the successful 2011 Napa Cabernets, which boast lovely savoury structure that lends them a rather old-world feel. Mike Dunn is justly proud of his achievement in this year, and it may well be the ‘wine of the vintage’ (Graeme MacDonald’s To Kalon Cabernet is also a contender). An appealing bouquet of cassis, graphite, rich soil and subtle tar is followed by a savoury, deep and sappy palate impression, underpinned by bright acids and refined but abundant tannins. Terrific stuff.