2012 Tom Eddy Cabernet Sauvignon Elodian Napa Valley

2012 Tom Eddy Cabernet Sauvignon: “Shutting Down the Sorting Table”

In early September 2012, we trekked the steep slopes of Atlas Peak and Diamond Mountain with Tom Eddy. Eddy has been crafting brilliantly elegant Napa Valley Cabernets for over 30 years. Still, the veteran winemaker told us, he had “never seen a growing season quite like this one.”

Spring had been warm and dry. Even on Stagecoach Vineyard, where yields are notoriously low, the fruit set was copious. While similar conditions prevailed throughout the summer months, most unusually, there were no blistering heat spikes. Barely a drop of rain fell from June to the end of August, causing sugars to spike even as natural acidity remained firm and bright.

Harvest came early on Eddy’s favored mountain stomping grounds — Stagecoach and Elkington vineyards on Atlas Peak and Bella Vista on Diamond Mountain. In most years, clusters off these high-elevation parcels are strewn with berries of varying size and ripeness. “Not so in 2012,” Eddy told us a couple months ago, when we tasted what we believe to be not only the richest but also the most flamboyant Elodian Cabernet Sauvignon since 2002. “2012 was a vintage when many of us considered shutting down the sorting table. There was really nothing to toss out!”

The Wine Advocate’s 2012 Napa Valley vintage report, entitled “Napa’s Cup Runneth Over,” hit bargain-hunters right where it hurts most. Robert Parker waxed eloquent, pouring fuel on an already raging fire, when he wrote that the 2012s had “exuberant, boisterous, even flamboyant personalities, sweet, well-integrated tannins… It is nearly impossible to find a 2012 that is not showing well.”

A word to the wise: As you consider dropping a bundle on Napa’s top 2012s (the most sought-after of which will be priced like Bordeaux First Growths, fetching $1,000-$3,000/bottle), carve out a corner of the cellar for EVERY notable 2012 you can buy for $30 or less.

Starting today.

Over the last five vintages, Tom Eddy’s “Elodian” — one of the top mountain Cabernet Sauvignon bargains in Napa Valley — has earned 208 perfect 5-star ratings and reviews. But as is the case in so many cellars, the 2012 “Elodian” is of a completely different class. From a vintage where opulence and muscular structure each share center stage, Eddy turned out what he believes to be his finest effort in a decade.

Deep black/purple. Aromas of blackberry, violets, and black currant, touched with new-wood cedar. Rich, compact, and palate-staining on the attack, almost chewy in texture, packed with a voluminous mix of crushed-black-fruit preserves, licorice, and graphite, finishing with excellent structural refinement, arguing cogently for up to 10 years of rest in a cool cellar.

Originally released at $60/bottle. The last 960 bottles of our 2012 allocation are now up for grabs. $30/bottle — for a fortunate few.

• ABV 14.50%
• Enjoy right away
• % Cabernet Sauvignon