I walked in the door of an annual wine event that I enjoy here in Omaha yesterday, and one of the first people I met was Tom Rees, the winemaker for Pine & Brown. Tom is a pleasant person, humble in spite of being arguably one of the most sought after winemakers in the Napa Valley, and passionate about what he does. I enjoyed talking to him immensely as I sipped at a glass of his 2013 Cabernet.

The 2013 Pine & Brown Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold, rich, deep purple wine that’s just about as good as they get in my opinion. In 2013, Tom made 8 barrels of wine, around 200 cases, aging it in 55% new French oak for 22 months. The result is an outstanding Cabernet, with a great fruit profile and that unmistakable “Rutherford dust” of Napa Valley lore. Still young and tight, it drinks great now, and will probably continue to do so for at least a few more decades. Though priced slightly higher than I often spend on a single bottle, I couldn’t help myself yesterday and had Tom sign a bottle of his artwork to take home and share with Sonja. This will be perfect paired with a fireplace and a blanket on a cold winter night in Nebraska.

At around $75/bottle, this outstanding Cab gets 93 points on my scale, and is highly recommended.