Open and complex nose with intense blackberry, cassis jam, tobacco, barnyard, eucalyptus aromas. The wine has a rich mid-palate with intense vanilla, smoky, blackberry, tobacco, and earth flavours and some ripe but noticeable tannin. Long, intense and balanced.

Dark and mouthwatering, this cabernet strikes a natural balance between the juiciness of its plummy red currant fruit and the succulent richness of its tannins. The freshness of acidity plays as important a role as the tannin, creating a transparency to the earthy expression of the wine, ultimately simple but clear and true. Principally grown in Rutherford and Oakville, this cabernet's red and rusty chime of fruit will resonate...

remarkably elegant and polished, with ripe, sweet, juicy plum and wild berry, turning elegant and sophisticated, with a long, detailed finish.

Buckeye cab is mountain-grown, and aged in 82 percent French oak. The nose is sensational. Ripe blackberry, waxy, minty, peppery licorice aromas and some barnyard, blueberry, violet tones. Very rich and round with ripe, soft, chewy tannins. A big, intense hillside cabernet with great character. Very fine value.

A terrific example of the varietal, the wine possesses a black/purple color and a huge, knock-out nose of jammy black fruits, herbs, smoke, and vanilla. Full-bodied, with a opulent texture, this wine will be a crowd pleaser when released in 1996.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Composed of 100% Cabernet aged 21 months in 48% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge gives a profound nose of crème de cassis, baked plums and chocolate box with hints of black truffes, cedar chest, pencil lead and dried Mediterranean herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is super structured with a very firm, grainy frame supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy. Needs time!

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkeye Mountain is deep, inky and powerful. Super-ripe dark cherry, pomegranate, mocha, blood orange and menthol infuse this succulent, racy Cabernet from vineyards in Anderson Valley. The Hawkeye boasts striking depth, texture and resonance.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Made of 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 43% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mtn. is deep garnet-purple colored and leaps from the glass with bold blueberries, cassis and Black Forest cake scents plus suggestions of camphor, unsmoked cigars, charcoal and fungi. Medium to full-bodied, firmly textured and delivering bags of vibrant black fruits, it has a lively line and long mint-laced finish.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Stature Cabernet Sauvignon delivers intense crème de cassis, baked plums and chocolate box notes with hints of licorice, cedar and bay leaves plus a touch of roses. Medium-bodied, firm and tightly wound, it has a great core of mid-palate fruit with a nice long, perfumed finish.

I also loved the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Knights Valley that spent 21 months in 51% new French oak. Black cherries, blueberries, dried herbs, graphite, and loads of gravelly, earthy characteristics flow to a medium to full-bodied, impeccably balanced, elegant 2015 Cabernet that has rocking levels of fruit. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mtn. has an intense nose of crushed black cherries, red and black plums and black currants with touches of scorched earth and grilled meats, plus hints of sandalwood and a waft of violets. Medium-bodied with compelling restraint and elegance in the mouth, it has a fine-grained texture and long finish with lingering earth and mineral notions.

Even better, and sourced from three different mountaintop sites, the tiny production 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain spent 21 months in 41% new French oak. It’s a serious effort, offering medium to full body, a layered, pure texture, and terrific notes of black cherries, cassis, cedary herbs, and lead pencil. It’s capable of lasting for over a decade.

Kendall-Jackson’s Jackson Estate bottling is a giant step up from their other Cabernet Sauvignon offerings, presumably because it comes from a more rigorous selection of their grapes. With more character and complexity, it mingles olive-tinged and herbal savory elements with a dark plum or cassis-like fruitiness. Kendall-Jackson’s hallmark suave tannins are present and add welcome balancing firmness. Finishing slightly bitter, there’s excitement with each new sip.

Over the past decade or so K-J has moved into uber-premium California wines in a big way, yet the concept of value hasn’t been completely abandoned. The 2014 Grand Reserve Cabernet is a case in point. This is a superb Sonoma County Cab that delivers in a big way but at a price well below the competition. Richly layered with notes of blackberry and cassis, a splash of wood spice and beautifully integrated tannins, it’s a stunning California Cabernet at less than $30 a bottle.

Longtime K-J winemaker Randy Ullom has done wonders with the Vintner's Reserve program, consistently crafting impressive wines despite the significant volumes. The 2014 Vintner's Reserve Merlot is an excellent example. Well balanced and refined, it has an elegant mouthfeel, is very dry and shows nuances of red currants and plum, with a touch of wood spice and beautifully integrated tannins.

Best Wines And Spirits Of 2017

Most wine lovers recognize the Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve line of wines, ubiquitous in grocery stores across America. The K-J Grand Reserve wines are often overlooked, yet should not be, because they deliver a more complex, rewarding drinking experience, a huge step up from Vintner’s Reserve. Grand Reserve winemaster Randy Ullom has access to outstanding-quality grapes from K-J’s extensive vineyard holdings and produces blends that are greater than the sum of their parts. The result is a Cab with aromas and flavors of forest floor, cedar, cassis, black plum, vanillin and dark chocolate. Inviting savory aromas lead to a fresh, brisk mouthful of beautifully ripened red cherry, dark berry and plum flavors, with supple tannins providing a smooth finish.

Plump and juicy, deftly balanced and supple in texture, with pure plum and blackberry flavors at the core, showing touches of cherry, currant, anise and cedar around the edges. Ends charming and graceful, with fine-grained tannins.

Alexander Valley Cabernets trend to taste sumptuous, with supple tannins and round, lush textures. They invariably carry a hint of sweetness, so provide unabashed pleasure more than intellectual sophistication. All that is true of this wine, but it surprises with unexpected seriousness and depth, making it a wine for many a different moment. You don’t need to ponder it, but you can. And there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy it.

With its array of seductive black and red berry fruits and firm, substantial texture this is an irresistible Cabernet Sauvignon indeed. Invigoratingly dry and muscular, it is also blessed with considerable charm. A touch of Petit Verdot adds even more complexity, and velvety tannins further enhance the long finish.

50 Wines That Inspired Us in 2017

One of the many highlights in this range, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge bursts from the glass with tons of Knights Valley personality. Game, smoke, cedar and savory herbs add nuance to a huge core of dark fruit. The 2012 is going to need at least a year or two to settle down as the tannins are imposing, but there is plenty to look forward to. This is an impressive showing.

From the steep Sonoma slopes of Mount St. Helena comes this tannic, concentrated young 100% Cabernet. Dramatic in structure and flavor, with massively packed blackberries, dark chocolate and pain grillé. the wine was aged in 49% new oak, which adds smoky, spice overtones.

Beautifully soft and limpid. So pretty and polished now, with ultrafine tannins framing ripe, dry flavors of black and red cherries, currants, chocolate, herbs and smoky sandalwood. Dramatic and opulent, this 100% Cab was aged in 40% new French oak.

A knock-out effort is the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain Mt. Veeder. Mt. Veeder can produce extraordinary wines, but it is apparently a tricky area in which to work. However, those who get it right seem to produce some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons outside of the Oakville Corridor. This dense ruby/purple-colored 2006 exhibits aromas of blackberries, blueberries, cedar, incense, graphite, and spice. It is big, rich, well-balanced, long, and heady.