The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is an attractive, nuanced wine, with striking aromatics, silky tannins and mid-weight structure. Lifted and light on its feet, the 2014 is quite pretty today. The flavors are decidedly bright and floral, while the expression of fruit tends towards the redder end of the spectrum. This is one of the most finessed wines in this range. The Spring Mountain Cabernets is a blend of fruit from several sites.

A bold, sturdy, muscular style, with a firm core of tannin-laced red and dark berry, licorice, charry, cedary oak and graphite flavors. The tannins clamp down and cling on the finish, making this a good candidate for cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2030.

Full medium ruby. Riper on the nose than the Diamond Mountain District bottling, offering scents of cassis, blueberry, violet, espresso and minerals. Densely packed and chewy; in fact, amazingly ripe and successful for Spring Mountain in 2011. The dark berry, graphite and espresso flavors carry very well on the long, ripely tannic finish. Incidentally, Jackson Family Wines recently purchased Terra Valentine's winery and Yverdon Vineyard on Spring Mountain.

The inky/purple-colored 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain exhibits asphalt, camphor, burning ember and sweet blackberry and cassis notes in a deep, full-bodied, rich, supple style. Even when exceptionally well made (as these four cuvees are), the 2011s are still low in acidity with soft tannins, making them very accessible. The Diamond Mountain Cabernet should drink well for 10-15 years.

Deep medium ruby. Explosive aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice pastille, menthol, spices and bay leaf. Fat, sweet and densely packed, with a low-acid impression to the concentrated flavors of black fruits, licorice pastille, mint and oregano. Here the wine's green notes contribute complexity without detracting from the fruit. Finishes with very suave tannins for the vintage and excellent length. A terrific showing.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is rich and powerful even if it is a bit compact. Layers of blue and black fruit, graphite, minerals, smoke and pencil shavings come together in this intense Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2010 is quite pretty, but it also shows the limitations of the cold vintage on this part of Diamond Mountain.

Aromas of black cherry, licorice, menthol and cocoa powder. Supple, lush and broad, with enticing sweetness to the black raspberry and chocolate flavors. Not the last word in density or flesh but a nice concentrated wine with a ripe vein of acidity and rather easygoing tannins that give it lovely early appeal. Finishes long and pure.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (from Keyes Vineyard) is a big, broad shouldered wine loaded with black fruit, smoke and licorice. Chocolate, blackberries, cinnamon, licorice and spices are wrapped around the plush, muscular finish.

Immense and powerful, with a rich, dense, chewy core of damp earth, dark berry, currant, dried herb and cedar, ending with a fresh asphalt aftertaste.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain, which comes largely from the Reverie Vineyard, is the softest of this quartet and thus will show best over the near term. It exhibits a dark ruby/purple color along with notes of berry fruit, camphor, roasted herbs and crushed rocks, an elegant, medium to full-bodied style, silky tannins and an endearing opulence as well as freshness. It should drink well for 10-15 years. One of the stars in Jess Jackson's Artisans and Estates portfolio, Lokoya focuses on high elevation mountain vineyards in four separate Napa appellations. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has been the force behind these wines for many years.

Rich and gutsy, firmly tannic and deeply extracted, with dark berry, cedar, mineral and tobacco leaf. Ends with a plush, mouthcoating carpet of tannins.

Good full ruby. Wild, musky aromas of medicinal black cherry and blueberry, nutty oak and bitter chocolate. Lush and sweet, with a slightly liqueur-like quality to the fruit flavors without going roasted. Shows the sweetness of the vintage and finishes broad and long, with good verve. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that this site is a bit warmer than La Jota.

Bright ruby. Complex, ripe nose melds cassis, iron, bitter chocolate, mocha, tobacco and gravel. Lush and intense, with an impression of almost peppery energy to the blueberry and mineral flavors. Generous but not thick, and not at all a sweet style. This has a relatively low pH of 3.45. Finishes juicy, long and quite suave, with an even dusting of tannins. A very successful wine.

Bright ruby-red. Vinous aromas of cassis, minerals, licorice, tobacco and peppermint. Suave and complex on the palate, with a creamy texture but also excellent verve to the flavors of redcurrant, minerals and loam. Firmly structured cabernet, finishing with ripe, harmonious tannins and subtle persistence. A classy example of Diamond Mountain cabernet.

The softest, most flamboyant of this trio. It possesses a plump, seductive perfume of black currants, cherry liqueur, raspberries, plums, and figs, great ripeness, sweet tannin, full-bodied, powerful flavors, a silky palate, and an alluring voluptuousness. Drink it over the next 15+ years.

Good bright, saturated ruby. Very dark, briary aromas of kirsch, bitter chocolate, licorice and espresso, lifted by spices. Sweet, lush and creamy, with rich, deep flavors of berries and dark chocolate. Finishes with impressively sweet, fine tannins and excellent length.

Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets - Part 1 La Jota's 2016 Merlot is plush, rich and radiant, all qualities that can be enjoyed upon release. A dollop (4.5%) of Tannat and 5.5% Petit Verdot add explosive energy. Black cherry, grilled herb, pepper, new leather and mint all run through this plush, savory Merlot. This is very nicely done. Drink it over the next decade.

La Jota's 2014 Merlot is vibrant and powerful, partly from the inclusion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot in the blend. A spine of tannin and acidity shapes the wine nicely. Dark plum, cherry, spice, licorice and lavender flesh out in the glass. Unctuous and deep, but with tremendous depth and plenty of mountain character, the 2014 Merlot is a winner from La Jota.

This opaque and midnight purple colored Merlot from Howell Mountain opens blackberry and anise bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and easy going. The flavor profile is a tasty mineral infused black currant with notes of black licorice and oak. I also detected hints of black pepper and olive. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins stick around for quite a while. This Merlot would pair well with a veal chop.

La Jota Vineyard Co. has a long history that dates to 1898, when Frederick Hess founded the company in a remote, wind-swept hollow high on Howell Mountain. Winemaker Chris Carpenter is the man behind La Jota’s Howell Mountain wines, bringing some two decades of mountain winemaking experience with him. The blocks are nestled between forested areas, each bringing a distinctive story to the grapes and the wine. Power and elegance is the La Jota mandate and it has both in spades. The merlot is dense, and intense, with bright mulberry/blueberry fruit, excellent acidity, compelling lush tannins with dark chocolate and clove highlights. It’s spicy and persistently long and warm in the finish. The blend is 90/10 merlot/petit verdot that is cold-soaked for a more gentle extraction of colour, flavours and tannins, and fermented with native yeast in a mix of open and closed-top stainless-steel tanks before aging 19 months in oak. You could easily cellar this through 2025.

Over Achievers Some of our favorite most impressive wines from recent tastings.

Dark cherries, iron, smoke, leather, cedar and tobacco meld together in the 2012 Merlot. This is a distinctly red-toned, savory Merlot with considerable nuance and complexity. Hints of sage, rosemary and anise add nuance on the finish. Readers should expect an intense, mountain Merlot built more on structure than fruit. The 2012 is 100% Merlot from the La Jota and Keyes vineyards on Howell Mountain.

There are 645 cases of the dark purple-colored 2012 Merlot (100% Merlot), which offers up sumptuous notes of mocha, espresso, chocolate, black cherries and blackberries. This plump, sexy, fleshy, succulent, full-bodied Merlot is already complex and delicious. Drink it over the next 7-10 years.

A dazzling Merlot, rich and complex, offering immediately appealing waves of cherry pie, red currant, cola, mocha, brown sugar, cinnamon and sweet oak. Even though the tannins are thick, they're as soft as velvet. The structural integrity of this wine is pure Napa Valley and makes the wine particularly fine.

La Jota's 2015 Cabernet Franc is fleshy, dark and expressive. Mocha, espresso, grilled herbs, licorice and spice notes give the 2015 lovely aromatic depth to play off the natural richness of the fruit. There is a good bit of tannin that is going to need time to soften. This is very nicely done.