1995 Taken From Granite, Cabernet Sauvignon "Renaissance Vineyard"

The California gold rush has been over for 150 years, but there’s still treasure in the Sierra Nevada foothills  . . . wine treasure that is. Last year we introduced you to the insider cult classic Cabernet from the Renaissance Vineyard (and we mean cult literally, no quotation marks needed). The 2001 “Swan Song” was to be the last release from a trove of wines made by the now legendary Gideon Beinstock, but we kept digging and somehow managed to discover a tiny tranche of the stupendous 1995 vintage. This is old school California Cabernet at its peak–complex, earthy, full of savor and spice but with plenty of up front, ripe red and black fruit. Opening a bottle of wine like this is a rare and wonderful treat, but rare is the operative word here: there are just 10 cases left of this historic wine. Once it’s gone, that’s it, so do not hesitate to pounce. The story of Renaissance Vineyards is fascinating and convoluted, to put it mildly. For a full take on the decades-long saga, we recom