Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, TOR 2021 75cl
Tor Kenward spent 26 years at Beringer — shaping its Private Reserve programme and working alongside the legendary André Tchelistcheff — before starting his own label in 2001. TOR has since collected more than 30 perfect scores, built entirely on tiny lots from Napa's most revered vineyards. This is his Oakville Cabernet, from the warm mid-valley heartland that also gives us Screaming Eagle and Harlan.
The 2021 vintage is one Napa growers talk about in hushed tones: a calm, even, fire-free season after years of drama, giving small berries, deep concentration and firm, fine-grained tannins with the acidity to age.
The wine pours dense purple and reads as textbook Oakville — dark fruit shot through with iron, black olive and tobacco, a savoury umami note, and baking spice of cinnamon and clove over graphite. The palate is round and beautifully balanced, medium to full in body, its tightly wound dark fruit carried by ripe, structured tannins into a long, mouth-watering close. There's a spring-flower prettiness underneath all the power that stops it feeling heavy.
At £110 this is serious Oakville Cabernet from a maker with a formidable track record, in a landmark vintage — fair value against the Oakville names that cost several times as much. Drink now with air, or cellar for 10 to 15 years.
How to Serve
Serve at 16 to 18°C. Decant young bottles for at least an hour to let the tannins settle and the fruit expand. A large Bordeaux glass suits it.
Where to Drink It
Scott's in Mayfair for a proper steak-and-Cabernet evening. Wiltons for old-school grandeur. Boisdale if you want it alongside something char-grilled.
Food Pairings
A dry-aged ribeye is the natural partner. Braised short rib, slow and rich, would be just as happy.
