A blend of 87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec (3% from the Alexander Valley Mountain Estate, 49% from Chalk Hill and 48% from Knight's Valley), exhibits a Bordeaux-like personality. Thick, viscous and rich with great elegance, tremendous purity and intensity as well as a full-bodied sweetness, it offers notes of caramel, mocha, coffee roast, black cherries and black currants. This supple, velvety-textured, opulent 2005 is accessible now and capable of lasting another 20-25 years.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed This is a soulful merlot with aromas and flavors of meat, currants and berries. Full-bodied, round and juicy with chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Lemon-rind undertones, too. Drink now.

The first truly profound Le Desir, this blend of 49% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits the deepest, most concentrated and multidimensional personality of the first five vintages of this cuvee. A dense plum/purple color is accompanied by notes of graphite, forest floor, unsmoked cigar tobacco, licorice and fruitcake. Full-bodied, layered and opulent, the 2004 can be drunk now or cellared for two more decades.

This 88% Merlot / 8% Cabernet Franc / 4% Cabernet Sauvignon blend is equal parts Alexander Mountain, Knight's Valley and Bennett Valley fruit with a tiny bit from Dry Creek. The wine grew incrementally as it sat in the glass. A dense purple color was followed by aromas of loamy soil, charcoal, asphalt, Verona chocolate, freshly brewed espresso and abundant blackberry and cassis fruit. This deep, rich beauty is still young and primary, but is loaded with potential. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.

Composed of 84% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec (51% from Knight's Valley, 38% from Bennett Valley and 11% from Chalk Hill), the 2003 boasts copious chocolate espresso notes, fabulous fruit intensity, an unctuous texture, wonderful freshness and a long finish. With higher alcohol (14.2%) than most of its siblings, it comes across as somewhat of an adolescent even though it has reached full maturity. Like the 2002, it can be consumed with great pleasure now or aged for another 20-25 years.

The 2017s From Sonoma Starting to hit primetime, the 2002 La Muse has a ripe, sexy, opulent style. Notes of ripe black cherries, currants, tobacco, rosemary, and spicy garrigue all flow to a full-bodied, layered Merlot that has rounded tannins, no hard edges, and a big finish. It’s smack in the middle of its prime drink window and should easily stay at this stage for another 10-15 years or more.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 La Joie is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black in color, it gives up the most gorgeous scents of lilacs, baking spices, incense and star anise with a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake, redcurrant jelly and unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a firm frame of very ripe, grainy tannins and bold, multilayered black fruit, finishing very long and very spicy.

Why it's an exciting time for Sonoma Cabernet Never any question that this is a wine built with impact and seduction in mind. It’s so cleverly constructed that you almost don’t notice how it contracts as the tannins take hold, drawing out the whole experience. Clear elegance with tiny kicks of minerality that pulse and lift upwards through...

Massive essence of Cabernet Sauvignon, a triumph. Shows huge waves of blackberries, black currants and cassis, dark chocolate, earthy minerals and considerable oak, which is tasteful and unobtrusive, With its dryness and perfect balance, it will easily negotiate the years. Should be fine well past the year 2020.

A spectacular blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, over two-thirds of the fruit from the Alexander Valley Mountain Estate and the balance from Knight's Valley and Bennett Valley, the 2002 La Joie exhibits a sweet, opulent bouquet of charcoal, burning embers, forest floor, blackberries and kirsch. Deep, full-bodied, supple-textured, flamboyant and extroverted with undeniable purity as well as finesse, it should drink well for another 20-25 years. Interestingly, the pH is a normal 3.61 and the alcohol is only 14.1%.

Deep ruby/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas of black truffles, scorched earth, tobacco leaves, blackberry and cassis liqueur, and notions of minerals as well as acacia flowers. This stunning red can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for two decades.

The 2014 Le Désir (53% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec) has an inky purple color and a sweet kiss of chocolate, black truffle, forest floor, black raspberry and black currants. Opulent, but again structured and super-dense and pure, this is another massively concentrated wine meant for the long haul (and for our grandchildren). Give it 4-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 35-40 years. Remarkably, Pierre Seillan told me that 2014, while a drought year, was not actually that hot in the micro-terroirs he was working, but in terms of quality, it turned out to be the most surprisingly positive vintage he’s ever witnessed.

This wine makes you sit back in your chair and take another thought. Its aromas and flavors are simply majestic in the sense of the finest Pomerols, and the texture is the finest cut velvet. In fact, the texture speaks about how thick can still be graceful. This is a simply amazing bottle, and it needs to be hunted down before it disappears.

The 2017s From Sonoma I was blown away by the 2017 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard, one of the finest Chardonnays in this report. Coming from the oldest estate vines on the Alexander Valley site, planted in 1982, and aged 11 months in 50% new French oak, it leads with an incredible bouquet of pineapple, white flowers, crushed rocks, and spice. With medium to full body, high yet integrated acidity, a thrilling texture, and a great, great finish, this is pure class and a remarkable effort from this estate. It’s drinking brilliantly today yet I suspect has the class to evolve for over a decade.

What looks to be the greatest wine of the entire batch is the 2014 Gravel Bench. This is like a liqueur of rocks. It spent 11 months in 100% new French oak. The wine is incredibly rich, with great length, fabulous acidity, and an unbelievable minerality. It reminds one of a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury in a top vintage. Sadly, only 301 cases were made, but this is set for a long life of 10+ years.

A tremendous achievement in Merlot. The vineyard, around 1,600 feet up on Mt. Veeder, is now owned by the Jackson family, and the winemaker is Chris Carpenter, who oversees Cardinale. In fact, this Merlot bears an uncanny resemblance to Cardinale in the dramatically ripe, sweet fruit and superb, tannin-based structure. It's 100% Merlot, with hefty yet balanced alcohol, and the wine easily handles the 85% new French oak in which it was aged for 22 months.

Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is subdued upon opening, but blossoms over time in the glass to reveal aromas of dark cherry liquor, spice, and plenty of floral goodness including violets and roses. The nose was even more captivating the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle and was reminiscent of capturing a whiff of seductive perfume on a beautiful woman. The mid weight plus core of dark cherry and raspberry fruit is incredibly flavorful and reveals many nuances over time including spice, conifer, rosehips tea and just the right touch of oak. Elegant and sleek with amazing length, this wine is the whole package. Compared to the 2011 vintage, this wine is a bit more elegant, more fashionable and shows more adroit oak integration. I have tasted this wine on three other occasions and was blown away each time. An exemplar.

Lokoya specializes in specific-appellation Cabernets, mostly from mountain peaks. The current Cabernet lineup from the '97 vintage includes:

An intensely flavored, mountain-grown Cabernet that ranks as one of the best California reds from a blockbuster vintage. Highly recommended.

'Amazing depth, richness, complexity and concentration here -- and an impeccable balance. Offers layers of plush black cherry, wild berry, currant, plum, anise and sage, finishing in a long, detailed aftertaste. Has the tannic strength to age; drink through 2012.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes sashaying out of the glass with notes of fragrant earth, exotic spices, black pepper and truffles over a core of cassis, black cherry compote and wild blueberries with touches of violets. Full-bodied, rich, sexy and simply delicious, it fills the mouth with bold, layered black fruit supported by incredible tension and wonderfully ripe tannins, finishing long.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s Starting with the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District, which comes from a warmer, mountain terroir in the northern part of the valley, this full-bodied, rounded, incredibly textured effort boasts loads of black fruits, savory herbs, eucalyptus, and scorched earth. It has nicely integrated acidity, a deep, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, incredible elegance, and perfect balance, all making for a truly brilliant Mountain Cabernet that will keep for 2-3 decades.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is deep purple-black in color and offers an incredible perfume of lilacs, black truffles, violets and menthol over a core of cassis, mulberries and warm plums plus a waft of tobacco leaf. The palate is full-bodied and built like a brick house with very firm, very ripe tannins and oodles of freshness cutting through the earthy layers, finishing very long.

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain leaps from the glass with vibrant black currant cordial, blueberry and black cherry scents with touches of tree bark, black pepper, rose hip tea and violets. The medium to full-bodied palate has a solid structure of firm, chewy tannins supporting the muscular fruit, finishing with great freshness and plenty of latent depth. Give it another 2-3 years in bottle and drink it over the next 30+.