O'Brien Estate Unrestrained Reserve Red 2012
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
O'Brien's heaviest bottle is reserved for their 2012 Proprietary Red Blend Unrestrained Reserve, a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc. A killer wine aged 18 months in 100% new French oak that has a dense purple color, beautiful blackberry and cassis fruit a hint of graphite and spring flower. It’s full-bodied, pure and beautifully textured. Sadly, only 149 cases were produced, but this is blockbuster wine from O’Brien Estate and certainly a great 2012. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.
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Wine Spectator
Remarkably stylish, elegant and refined, with a supple mix of spicy oak, currant, dark berry, red and black licorice and light floral and cedar notes, ending with a long, graceful finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2028.
Their wines reflect the soil, air, and sunlight of Napa Valley. Using only natural winemaking techniques and aging in small French oak barrels allows our wine to express the nuances of our unique terroir, creating a signature of the vineyard in the bottle.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.