K-J has a way with Merlot, and with this wonderful 2010, they’ve produced a wine that tastes far more expensive than it is. It’s silky on the palate, with wild berry, red currant and persimmon fruits. This could even develop bottle complexity over the next 5–6 years.

Lots of structure in this refined, polished Merlot. The tannins are strong but sweetly ripe, and with the crisp acids, they provide a rich framework to the cherry, cassis, cola and mocha flavors. Dry and elegant, this wine drinks well now should hold for five years before the fruit fades.

Intense, ripe-cherry fruit is the centerpiece of this deep and keenly defined young Merlot, and it is joined by lots of sweet oak spice, suggestions of chocolate and hints of fresh herbs that make for a genuinely complex and involving expression of the varietal. The wine is fairly plush and fleshy in feel as only a good Merlot can be, and, if arguably a little rough and rugged at the finish just now, it asks only for some three to five years of forbearance while it reaches for a fuller measure of supple richness.

The most limited production cuvee is the 2006 Trace Ridge Proprietary Red, a spectacular offering. It's deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by notes of sweet cassis, crushed rocks, licorice, earth, and graphite. Full-bodied and deep, it is another excellent example of what Knight's Valley can produce.

More vibrant than the '01 with anise and herb notes and a lush, chewy texture. Black cherry and spice flavors; long, velvety finish.

reveals loads of complex mineral, tobacco, black currant, blueberry, and licorice characteristics. Medium to full bodied, with sweet tannin as well as a firm, mountain-styled personality that begs for patience, it will be at its finest between 2010-2020.

Already bottled, this wine isn't scheduled to be released until March 2005. If you like your Cabs big, rich and chewy (and who doesn't?) it's never to early to start badgering your retailer or wholesaler to try to get you some of the 613 cases produced. Toasty notes accent dark chocolate and plum scents while intense cassis flavors fill the mouth. Sturdy; try after 2006

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.