Cain Cellars, Cain Cuvee NV 17

50% of the grapes are from 2016 which gives coolness and perfume the other 50% from 2017 giving deep structure and complexity, picked before the wildfires, their most focussed release yet, 67% is from the mountains - their own Spring Mt vineyard & 33% from the valley floor, where the Merlot gives the silky, fruity backdrop.

Cain Five, whose precipitous vineyards high on Spring Mountain have been carefully nurtured by the intellectual and erudite Chris Howell for over 20 years now, continues to fly just under the radar of the trophy hunting Californian wine purchaser. After all, they don't chase points and they don't make blockbusters. Theirs is an endeavour of a more subtle nature. Which is probably why we’re such big fans.

That the recent World of Fine Wine Finest Wines of Californian Book cites Cain as one of the top 10 Bordeaux Blends in all of California is no mistake. Others in the list include Dominus, Ridge Monte Bello, Opus One and Rudd. By anyone's yardstick this is pretty fine company to be in. And yet Cain undoubtedly offers something quite unique.

Chris Howell's vision has always been to express the particular characteristics of the site the grapes come from. This he has done through very careful vineyard management and a deeply impressive understanding of the sites he works with. Harvest when it comes is often earlier than his peers, bringing into bright focus the specific terroir the grapes come from, not just the sun they ripen under.