Forman is one of the great
artisanal wineries in the Napa Valley, a sole proprietorship created by Ric
Forman in 1983 whose remarkable consistency can be attributed to the same
steady hand at the wheel the whole time. The serious critical praise for this
2016 release focused on the The wine’s finesse and classical styling draws us
to Forman’s wines: His Cabernets are always defined by an equilibrium of power
and grace, which, as lovers of great Bordeaux. This is a cornerstone wine for
your cellar at a great price, one you can revisit over the next decade and
beyond. If you love ‘all-timers’ like Stag’s Leap, Joseph Phelps, Corison, and
Mayacamas, this is right in your wheelhouse! This 2017 is its remarkably
smooth, velvety texture. It is drinking beautifully right now, with
well-integrated tannins; what I think will sustain it over the long haul is not
a massive tannic structure but instead the balance and freshness it exhibits.
It is focused and perfectly calibrated, displaying an opaque garnet-purple core
moving to magenta and garnet at the rim. The aromas are lifted and highly
complex, with blackberry and cassis sharing the bill with tobacco leaf,
graphite, licorice, and damp violets. Unlike so many of the big, brooding Napa
Cabernets we encounter around here, this one has nuance and finesse.