Rudd Oakville Estate Red Oakville 2003 750ml

Leslie Rudd's Oakville estate sits along the Silverado Trail in the Oakville Corridor, where rocky, volcanic soils give the wines a distinctive dark, earthy character. The 2003 Oakville Estate Red blends 79% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Petit Verdot and smaller parts of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Wine Advocate, revisiting it a decade after the vintage, found charcoal, scorched earth and intense black and blue fruit, comparing its smoky notes to Haut-Brion and noting it was performing even better than on release. Rich, opulent and full-bodied, it showed the depth to keep improving. Now more than 20 years old, it is mature and should drink well over the next several years.