As I’ve said in the past, this wine is what I’d consider a “cornerstone” collectible. Ric Forman’s wine career started in the late-1960s and included well-received stints at Sterling, Stony Hill, and Newton. He’s a winemaker and viticulturist both, and has mostly been a one-man show since he purchased his property in St. Helena, at the base of Howell Mountain, in 1978. His son, Toby, has worked with him since the early 2000s, but otherwise the operation has remained resolutely small and laser-focused—on Cabernet from two Howell Mountain parcels on gravel, sand, and volcanic rock, and Chardonnay from the Rutherford Bench on the Valley Floor. The Forman winery is dug into the same Howell Mountain hillside as his original estate wines and home, so this is a vintner who truly “lives” it 365 days a year.

The Forman operation combines elements of the intimate Burgundy “domaine” and the classic Bordeaux “château.” There’s Cabernet Sauvignon (really a Bordeaux-style blend driven by Cabernet) and Chardonnay—that’s it, aside from a “second” red called Château La Grande Roche. Forman’s two estate vineyards on Howell Mountain, above St. Helena, include the original 8.5-acre parcel where the winery is located and one higher up the slope, which totals 20 acres and contains a little more volcanic material. Both sites are planted not just to Cabernet Sauvignon but Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. 

This 2017 has remarkably smooth, velvety textures that translate to a beautiful drinking experience right now. Accordingly, what I think will sustain it over the long haul is not a massive tannic structure but its superb balance and freshness. It is focused and perfectly calibrated, displaying an opaque garnet-purple core that transitions to dark magenta at the rim. The aromas are lifted and highly complex, with lush blackberry, black raspberry liqueur, and cassis alongside a savory cast of tobacco leaf, graphite, licorice, and damp violets. Unlike so many of Napa Valley's big, brooding Cabernets, this one sports wonderful nuance and finesse. Decant for no less than 30 minutes and enjoy over two days in large Bordeaux stems.