Medium ruby color; dark cherry and wild raspberry aromas with light oak and spice shadings; pure, lively and deep dark cherry flavors with spice and pomegranate notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, dark Pinot with great structure and balance.

Medium ruby color; earthy, blueberry and raspberry aromas with light floral notes; fresh, pure plum and blueberry flavors with dark chocolate notes and supple tannins; good structure and balance; long finish. This is an earthy and floral Pinot with a lot of complexity.

My favorite is the 2012 Pinot Noir Afleet, which is made from the Pommard selection, and comes across as a French Pommard, with its meaty, muscular, rather masculine style. With lots of damp earth, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit and plenty of muscle, density and structure, it’s the biggest and richest of the Pinot Noirs, but also the most limited in availability (156 cases).

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Lovely scent of black cherry mash, spice, rose petal and grilled mushrooms. More sappy and concentrated than the 2011 version, with a bombastic array of redder cherry and berry fruits touched by oak. Deft winemaking here with suave tannins, and bright acidity that flatter the fruit core. Like all the 2012 Maggy Hawk Pinot Noirs, the finish is noteworthy for its generosity and persistence.

Gorgeous moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. This wine has an Oh God! nose offering sexy aromas of Bing cherry, cardamom spice, dark chocolate and vanilla bean. The delicious black cherry core saturates the mid palate, expands in the mouth, and carries over to a finish that seems to last a minute. Suede-like tannins frame the fruit which is accented by oak-driven notes of spice, mocha and vanilla. When tasted the following day from a previously opened and recorked bottle, the aromatic goodness was still in full dress. The only nit I have is that the oak is a little heavyhanded.

Light, bright red. High-pitched aromas of strawberry, blood orange and fresh rose. Spicy and precise, with an intriguing litheness and very good energy to its tangy red fruit, cola and floral pastille flavors. Shows a vibrant mineral quality on the finish, which clings with excellent tenacity and appealing sweetness. This wine is all about finesse.

Vivid red. Sexy raspberry and Asian spices on the highly perfumed nose, with notes of fresh rose, minerals and incense adding complexity. Sweet, sappy and expansive, offering penetrating red and dark berry flavors and a velvety texture. Impressively energetic and precise, with seductively sweet notes of candied red fruits and rose pastille on the seamless finish. 40% new oak here.

Racy, nervy and showing pinpoint focus and tangy, elegant flavors of cherry, raspberry and spice; pretty, pure and stylish with great finesse and balance.

Rich and luscious with ripe cherry and juicy raspberry; crisp yet powerful and dense, complex and showing minerals and lovely floral notes; long and bright.

Saturated ruby-blue. Super-ripe yet very bright aromas of black cherry, blackberry, flowers and spices. Very dense and powerful, with beautiful floral and dark berry flavors. Already offers compelling inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with powerful but ripe tannins and superb persistence. A big wine with a lot of everything.

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

dark, firm and concentrated, with chewy tannins wrapped around a core of earthy currant, mint and cedar notes, focused and long on the finish…tasted twice with consistant notes.'

Jess Jackson purchased two estate vineyards for the Lokoya Napa Valley wines, one on Mt. Veeder and one on Howell Mountain. Winemaker Marco DiGuilio purchases fruit for this Diamond Mountain wine as well as the Rutherford bottling. The Lokoya Cabernets are designed to show off the varied characteristics of Napa's growing regions. Diamond Mountain produces this dense and chocolatey wine, its pungent fruit intensity balanced by equally intense tannins. The tannins have an austerity and dramatic power, struggling for supremacy with the generous nature of the fruit. The battle lasts through a long finish, and won't be resolved for years.

boasts an opaque blue/black color, followed by outstanding aromatics of jammy blackberry and currant fruit intertwined with roasted herbs, cold steel, minerals, and spicy new oak. There is fabulous intensity, terrific levels of glycerin and extract, full body, and sweet tannin in the ling, low acid finish. This superb, dazzling Cabernet Sauvignon reveals tremendous up-side potential.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is a dense, tightly wound wine. Bright red cherry, iron, pomegranate, chalk, mint and white pepper abound. Deep and layered, in the medium-bodied style of the year, the 2014 exudes Veeder personality and tension. The mid-palate needs time to develop, but this is another highly expressive wine from Lokoya. There is plenty of punch and mountain intensity here. Veeder Peak is the fruit source.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is laced with the essence of graphite, cured meats, crème de cassis, smoke and licorice. Unctuous and deep, but with grippy Howell Mountain tannins underpinning the fruit, the 2014 has a lot going for it. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2014 for at least a few years. The Howell is a step up from some of the other wines in this range. All of the fruit for this wine came from Keyes.

Comes from the Spring Mountain Vineyard. Vibrant and juicy with sweet berry and blackcurrant fruit, with a touch of cedar and fine spices. It’s really fresh, but also quite ripe, with some woody notes under the concentrated, primary fruit. There’s a slight hint of pine freshness on the finish. There’s a touch of warmth on the finish. Still primary and unformed but with lots of promise.

Sweetly aromatic with sweet blackcurrant and red berry fruit notes, as well as a hint of cedar. The palate shows lush, sweet fruit with some cedar spiciness, and a touch of minty freshness on the finish. It needs time to integrate the sweet oak. Quite grippy on the finish with a sweet fruit profile. Some potential here.

Iron, tobacco, incense, graphite and smoke all open up in the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain. Rich, ample and layered on the palate, the 2012 boasts tons of depth and plenty of personality. This is the most intensely mineral and savory of the four Lokoya Cabernets. It is also one of the more open wines in this range today. With time in the glass, the fruit takes on distinctly more red-hued tones of expression, along with distinctive floral and spice nuances that add complexity.

Bright medium ruby. Captivating nose combines crushed cassis and blueberry, licorice, bitter chocolate, peppery herbs and a musky whiff of truffley underbrush. Plush, voluminous and deep; the largest and broadest of this superb set of 2011 cabernets, with seamless dark berry and pepper flavors complemented by sexy, perfectly integrated oak. Finishes thick and very long, with remarkably ripe tannins for the year. Although it's approachable now, I'd wait 5 years and then enjoy this big boy over the following 10 or 12.

Full ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, licorice and fresh herbs, complemented by notes of espresso and roasted earth. Sweet, plush and deep, with a distinct mineral character adding class and grip to the creme de cassis, black cherry and licorice flavors. For all its medicinal reserve and structure, this very long wine boasts a captivating creaminess of texture.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (from Veeder Peak) flows onto the palate with layers of dark, mineral-infused fruit. Graphite, cassis, blackberries, spices and new leather are some of the nuances that take shape in the glass. This is at once open and approachable, but also quite intense and mineral.

Blue fruit, spring flower, charcoal, and crushed rock aromas emerge from the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. This wine possesses terrific ripeness, beautiful, surprisingly sweet, well-integrated tannins, plenty of black and blue fruit flavors, full body, and good harmony and overall equilibrium. It can be drunk now or cellared for two decades or more.

From the Reverie Vineyard, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain spent 22 months in 100% new French oak. Cedar, crushed rock, creme de cassis, smoke, and earthy characteristics are both compelling and complex. This mountain-styled Cabernet reveals soft tannins, a supple, full-bodied mouthfeel, and an elegant yet substantial personality. It should drink nicely for 15+ years.

Deep medium ruby. Inky, brooding aromas of black fruits, tar, licorice, minerals and crushed stone. Dense but sweet, with lovely mineral depths to the slightly high-toned flavors of black raspberry and currant. This boasts terrific flavor intensity and life. Finishes very long, with the suave tannins reaching the front teeth.