Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, and half a % each of Malbec and Merlot, aged 15 months in 33% new French oak. The bottling includes the following sources: 51% Atlas Peak District; 14% Battuello Vineyard in St. Helena, 12% Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville and 5% Twin Creeks Vineyard in Wooden Valley (in Suisun Valley) and from sources in Stags Leap. Super approachable and fairly easy-drinking at the pull of the cork. Youthful blue fruit aromatics mingle with blackberry, graphite, and violet florals. Full-bodied with fine-grained satiny tannins and the same exuberant blue and black fruit, tinged with cinnamon and Mexican mocha through a lengthy slate-stone and cedarwood-rich finish.

The violet lift to the nose is knitting well with the ripe blackberries, chocolate and sweet spices. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, with dense yet creamy tannins adhering to the dark fruit. Fleshy and polished, with a pretty finish. A solid effort for the vintage.

The only one of these releases to contain purchased fruit, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis draws from such diverse sources as Atlas Peak, Calistoga, Coombsville, Saint Helena and Wooden Valley. It's rather fresh and primary, with almost grapey notes, black cherries and cassis. In the mouth, it's full-bodied and plush, with a soft, velvety finish.

Soft and forward, with a gush of warmed acai and cherry compote that shows hints of black licorice and violet. Showy, but all up front, as the finish loses form and energy. Drink now through 2027. 70,500 cases made.