N°1 Cabernet Sauvignon Reviews

I was able to taste two barrel samples from the JCB lineup. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 is the slightly more elegant and seamless of the two, offering a pure, perfumed nose of ripe currants, toasted spice, graphite, and tobacco leaf. With perfectly integrated oak, full-bodied richness, and just about perfect tannins, this is legit awesome juice. The #1 Cuvee comes from two vineyards in St. Helena and is Clone 4 and Clone 7.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon No 1 is deep garnet in color. It prances out of the glass with flamboyant scents of redcurrant jelly, warm cassis, and black cherry compote with hints of dried roses, cigar box, and sandalwood plus a waft of bay leaves. The full-bodied palate is firm and grainy with just enough freshness and loads of evolving fragrant layers, finishing long and earthy.

Aromas of porcini, bark, blackcurrant and blackberry. Full-bodied with powdery tannins. The palate is grounded by a solid core of black fruit, accented by dried herbs and flowers. Delicious. This will age well. Best after 2024.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 is all St. Helena fruit, and the idea with this cuvée is to create a classic, balanced, elegant expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m happy to say they’ve succeeded admirably. This deep purple-hued 2019 gives up lots of cassis fruits, subtle background oak, full-bodied richness, and textbook, complex notes of chalky minerality, toasted spices and Pauillac-like lead pencil shavings. It will cruise for 20-25 years in cold cellars.

The 2019 JCB #1 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Powerful and layered, the 2019 opens nicely with time in the glass. Super-ripe dark fruit, grilled herbs, menthol, licorice and chocolate build as the 2019 fleshes out with a bit of time in the glass. Most of this fruit is from St. Helena, and that ripe character that oftens defines those wines really comes through here.

--Antonio Galloni

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 cuvee is always made in a more elegant, seamless style, and the 2018 is an incredible wine in every sense. Rock star red and black currants, dried tobacco, cedary spice, and hints of chocolate all define the bouquet, and this full-bodied beauty has a seamless, elegant texture, great tannins, and the class to evolve for two decades.

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from the west side of St. Helena, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 had extended maceration of skins for 44 days and then was aged in French oak, 59% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes with bombastic blackberry compote, crème de cassis and boysenberries scents, followed by suggestions of cumin seed, cardamom, rosemary roasted lamb and unsmoked cigars plus a hint of pencil lead. Full-bodied, bold and decadently rich in the mouth, it delivers impactful black fruit preserves layers and loads of savory accents, supported by firm yet plush tannins and tons of freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note. Although it delivers a hedonic experience right now, give it a good 5 years in bottle to get the wow factor and drink it over the next 20+ years. 115 cases were made.

The 2018 No. 1 is laced with the essence of raspberry jam, mocha, cedar, rose petal and cinnamon. Rich, silky and opulent, the 2018 offers plenty of immediacy to match its flamboyant style. Drink it over the next decade.

-- Antonio Galloni

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from the west side of St. Helena, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 had extended maceration of skins for 44 days and then was aged in French oak, 59% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes with bombastic blackberry compote, crème de cassis and boysenberries scents, followed by suggestions of cumin seed, cardamom, rosemary roasted lamb and unsmoked cigars plus a hint of pencil lead. Full-bodied, bold and decadently rich in the mouth, it delivers impactful black fruit preserves layers and loads of savory accents, supported by firm yet plush tannins and tons of freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note. Although it delivers a hedonic experience right now, give it a good 5 years in bottle to get the wow factor and drink it over the next 20+ years. 115 cases were made.

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is immediately seductive, revealing heady brown spices, perfumed purple florals, sweet cedar and elegant tobacco accents. Nothing shy here. A positively siken texture, laced with creamy blackberry and black cherry fruit, brown sugar...

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 cuvee is always made in a more elegant, seamless style, and the 2018 is an incredible wine in every sense. Rock star red and black currants, dried tobacco, cedary spice, and hints of chocolate all define the bouquet, and this full-bodied beauty has a seamless, elegant texture, great tannins, and the class to evolve for two decades.

The 2018 No. 1 is laced with the essence of raspberry jam, mocha, cedar, rose petal and cinnamon. Rich, silky and opulent, the 2018 offers plenty of immediacy to match its flamboyant style. Drink it over the next decade. -- Antonio Galloni

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 20 months in 68% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 is scented of cassis, black berries and black cherries with notions of yeast extract, tapenade, menthol, espresso and earth. The palate is full-bodied, firm, lively and refreshing with fine-grained tannins and earthy notions, finishing long. 213 cases produced.

The 2015 No. 1 is dark, plush and inviting. Succulent dark cherry, plum, mocha and sweet spice all flesh out in this racy, voluptuous Cabernet Sauvignon from Jean-Charles Boisset.

Made up of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and sporting a very deep garnet-purple color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 gives up a very fragrant nose of red and black currants with violets, dried herbs, spices and a slightly meaty note. Medium to full-bodied, firm, fresh and lively, it's refined and mineral-tinged, offering great intensity, vibrancy and a long finish. Only 188 cases were made.

A barrel sample of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 is a very deep garnet-purple color with a nose of cassis, baking spices, dark chocolate, black pepper and Chinese five spice. The medium to full-bodied palate is very firm, very fresh, lively, vibrant and concentrated with fine-grained tannins with a beautifully perfumed, minerally finish. 150 cases produced.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 is made with the idea to highlight elegance over sheer power and it does so beautifully in 2015. Classic notes of crème de cassis, spice, toasted oak, and licorice all flow to a full-bodied, elegant, seamless red. While the idea is elegance, that doesn’t mean it lacks depth or concentration, and this beauty has the tannin, structure, and balance to keep for two decades.

Tasted out of barrel, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB #1 is a smoking effort that’s up with the crème de la crème in the vintage. Loaded with notions of blue fruits, flowers, violets, licorice, and earth, this beauty hits the palate with gorgeous purity of fruit, full-bodied richness, and fine, fine tannin. With a seamless texture, it’s going to drink nicely in its youth, yet also age gracefully.

Presenting an authoritative message, this is a dense, muscular, extracted Cabernet loaded with dark berry, graphite, crushed rock and tobacco notes, cloaked in chewy, detailed tannins and ending with a long, full finish. 

Generous, featuring ripe and fleshy plum, black cherry, wild berry, raspberry and anise notes, with an array of flavors framed and supported by firm, ripe tannins. Well-proportioned, clean and vibrant, delivering a long, saturated finish. Drink now through 2024. 

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB No 1 is absolutely magnificent – a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from clone 4 aged 19 months in 50% new French oak. Unfortunately, only 130 cases were made, but it’s a stunner from Boisset. Opaque purple, with notes of licorice, graphite, roasted espresso and chocolate, the wine shows terrific intensity, great fruit and a full-bodied, multidimensional mouthfeel. Drink it over the next 15 or more years.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB No. 1, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon bottled unfined and unfiltered after spending 19 months in 65% new French oak, has an opaque purple color, a glorious nose of graphite, blackberry, licorice, incense, Asian spice and white chocolate. The wine has great fruit on the attack, an opulent, full-bodied, multi-tiered mouthfeel and a layered, pure finish of a good 45+ seconds. It is a brilliant wine and will drink well for up to 20 or more years.

This hedonistically powerful mix of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot traffics in blackberry and black cherry jam over a layer of soft tannins. Coffee, toffee and subtle Asian and cinnamon spice keep the proceedings lively, for this is a seriously ripe and playful wine. Cellar through 2020. — V.B. 

A stylish offering, sleek and elegant, with tiers of spicy dark berry, currant, chocolate brownie, cedar and graphite, it gains richness and dimension before firming nicely on the finish, where the tannins take hold and turn chalky.  –JL

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB No. 1 is composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville Ranch and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Sadly, there are only 101 cases of this fabulous wine. Aromas of lead pencil shavings, chocolate-infused expresso, crème de cassis and blackberries along with some barrique smells emerge from this full-bodied, dramatic, flamboyant 2012. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon JCB No. 1 that includes the words “voluptuous, opulent, incorrigible” on the back label. It possesses more sweet black cherry and mulberry fruit reminiscent of a Merlot from Pomerol. The color is a healthy dark ruby/purple, and the wine is round, generous, voluptuous, beautifully textured and long. Drink this seductive Cabernet over the next 10-15 years.

This is dazzlingly rich and delicious. It swamps the mouth with ripe blackberry and cherry jam, cassis liqueur, chocolate and sweet new oak flavors, wrapped into fine tannins, and brightened with just-in-time acidity. High alcohol creates some heat, and it’s not an ager, so drink now–2015.

A stylish statement, reliant on equal parts dense, mocha-laced flavors of currant and dark berry, joined by creamy, vanilla bean-tinged oak. Extracted, dense and concentrated, this maintains its chewiness through the finish, where it takes on a more rustic presence. The inaugural Jean-Charles Boisset Cabernet. Best from 2013 through 2023. 50 cases made.

An outstanding wine, the best California Cabernet Jean-Charles Boisset has ever produced from any of his properties. It stands out in any tasting of its peers. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and aged in 60% new oak, it shows satisfying, complex flavors of blackberries, blueberries, cassis, hazelnut-infused chocolate and spices. Hard to exaggerate its power and grace. Wonderful now and good for six years, but it's difficult to predict its evolution beyond 2018. -S.H.