Peter Michael Au Paradis 2012
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Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
With a deep red ruby color, Au Paradis 2012 offers elegant notes ofblack currant, black cherry, chocolate, licorice, clove, cinnamon and an exotic touch of orange. In the mouth, the texture is velvety and loaded with black currant, liquor of cassis, game, black cherry liqueur and plum eau-de-vie and an iron-like minerality. Round, refined, complex, meaty and incredible length are the best words to define the mouth feel and finish of the 2012 Au Paradis. It will continue to age gracefully for three decades or more.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A relatively new addition to the Peter Michael range and made from a single vineyard in the heart of the Napa Valley. Phenomenal aromas of dust, rust, blackberry, currants and dried berries. Spices such as nutmeg and cloves too. Stunning. Try in 2018.
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Wine Spectator
Deliciously pure and supple, with explosive dark berry and red berry flavors and a silky, polished texture. The tannins become more evident midway through, with a gravelly crushed rock profile that adds a dimension of dust and mineral. Drink now through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Peter Michael’s newest offering comes from the Showket Vineyard in Oakville, which sits high on the hillsides of the Vaca Mountains in eastern Napa Valley. The vineyard is next to Dalla Valle, so this is a high-rent Cabernet district. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cabernet Franc (1,785 cases produced). It exhibits lots of grilled meat, spice box, cedarwood, crème de cassis and vanilla characteristics, a full-bodied earthiness, stunning purity, and refined, silky tannins. It is a gorgeous 2012 red to drink over the next 25+ years.
Other Vintages
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Wine
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Wine
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.