This nearly flawless Cabernet blend dazzles from the start with a hedonistic, almost Amarone-like bouquet along with toasty oak, cassis, and blackberry liqueur. Monumental in its grandeur, super-rich, and velvety-textured, this is a spectacularly impressive, Cabernet featuring majestic notes of dark chocolate intermingled with deeply concentrated black fruit (currants, plums, dates) deftly balanced across a long-lasting finish of statuesque proportions. Worthy of a 98-point rating now, the new Ampersand 2012 promises to offer a transcendental experience for the next 10 years and could merit another point along the way in our estimate. That said, don’t wait for this thrill ride; go ahead and pop a cork tonight for a true show-stopper experience (after decanting for 30 minutes!) with grilled meats or aged cheeses!