Levy & McClellan Ampersand 2015

This is the winemaking project of husband and wife Martha McClellan and Bob Levy, both of whom have worked with some of the biggest names in Californian wine (Sloan and Harlan Estate, no less). This is an immensely classy wine from their estate vineyard on Diamond Mountain and is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with lesser parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The 2015 is dense, rich and yet unwaveringly elegant. It is bold and fragrant on the nose with scents of blackcurrants, raspberry, dried herbs, graphite, charcoal and tobacco. On the palate it is plush and luxuriant yet interwoven with effortless tannins and a fine thread of acidity.