A cross-Napa Valley blend, the 2012 Merlot is their largest cuvée (15,500 cases), and is composed of 85.2% Merlot blended with other Bordeaux varietals. Only 21% new oak is used, so the fruit component dominates. A dense plum/purple color is followed by notes of chocolate, berries, tobacco leaf, forest floor and mocha. This lush, fruit-driven, hedonistic, sensual Merlot can be drunk over the next 7-8 years.

Full, dark red. Sexy, rather claret-like aromas of plum, currant, blackberry, leather, spices and dusty stone show freshness and complexity, as well as a hint of wildness. Wonderfully savory, plush wine with a firm mineral spine giving shape to its very dark berry flavors. The slowly building finish really stains the palate and lingers. Not yet completely open--in fact, there's something still a bit youthfully tough here despite the lovely sweetness--but then this is a magnum. Aeration brought a more pliant back end, but this big mouthful of red wine is still evolving. The tannins mount.

Smooth, lush and showing herbs, spicy dark cherry and bright plum; long and tasty with deep flavors and good balance; lovely, smooth texture and earthy notes.

This dark ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Freemark Abbey opens with cassis, coffee and oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied, balanced and polished. The flavor profile is a mocha and coffee blend with notes of black currant and a streak of gentle minerality. I also detected a hint of RC Cola and cedar. The finish is dry and its moderate refined tannins fade away nicely. This Cab is ready to go now and would pair very nicely with a New York strip steak with caramelized shallots.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley—blended of 78.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 5.6% Malbec and 2.2% Cabernet Franc—has a compelling perfume of dried roses, fragrant herbs and dusty earth over a core of crushed plums and blackberries with a waft of tobacco. Medium-bodied, lively and expressive in the mouth, it has a pleasant pluminess accented by herb and earth notions, finishing long and chewy.

Intense ripe berries, stones and fresh leather on the nose. Full body, chewy tannins and a powerful finish. A little extracted. Needs three to four years to soften. Try in 2021.

A classically styled, beautifully made red, this is defined by its well-chiseled structure and sanguine characteristics, as well as notes of cranberry, dried herb and anise. Lush and full-bodied, it has additional elements of pencil shavings and meaty game, complex and interesting to the end. Enjoy best 2022 through 2032.

Tasted as a barrel sample that’s undergone its final blending, the 2021 Winemaster's
Blend is an opaque purple/black color and opens up with aromas of graphite,
blackcurrant, mocha, and black raspberry. Fleshy and full, it brings forward a gravelly
texture, with ripe, young, firm tannins that will soften with time in bottle and has notes
of tea leaf and dark meaty fruit. It’s clean but has a nice bit of earthiness. It will be bottled in about a month.

I tasted the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve as a finished barrel sample of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep ruby-purple in color, the nose opens slowly to cassis, blueberry and violet, and the full-bodied palate is powerful and spicy, with a long, floral finish. 170,000 cases will be bottled after aging for 15 months in 7% new French oak and 7% new American oak.

Wine of the Day A much more serve version of Santa Barbara County Syrah than you’d expect from a wine with close to 15% natural alcohol this 2017 vintage details a more austere style than the last year with plenty of wild herbs, loam, bramble/briar spiciness and less, at this stage, forward fruit with more subdued layers of blackberry, blueberry, tangy currant and cranberry on the powerful palate. This wine moves to its own agenda and with a snails pace adding crushed pepper, olive and anisette notes before revealing pretty violets, kirsch and a vinous mouth feel. I will put a few bottles away for another year or two and revisit, as I felt it is more of tease at this point, hinting at more pleasure and poise to come. Best to decant this and or serve with hardy cuisine, including grilled meats, hard cheeses and or lamb dishes.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché is a powerful, inward wine that is still recovering from its recent bottling a few months before this tasting. The 2016 is attractive, but not more expressive beyond that.

This deep garnet colored Pinot Noir from Oregon opens with a blueberry and gentle cinnamon bouquet with a hint of mushroom and cedar. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with integrated medium acidity. The mouthfeel is balanced, round and very approachable. The flavor profile is a crushed stone and gentle red plum blend with notes of cinnamon, oak, and mushroom. We also detected hints of pleasant red cherry. The finish is dry and its flavors drift away nicely. The Tasting Panel would pair this Pinot with cedar plank grilled salmon or a juicy lamb burger.

This dark garnet colored Pinot Noir opens with an orange peel and maraschino cherry bouquet with hints of herbal tea and teaberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with integrated acidity. The mouthfeel is balanced, soft and savory. The flavor profile is an earthy black plum with notes of orange zest and minerality. We also detected hints of black tea, cranberry, mushroom, and red currant. The finish is dry and its subtle fine tannins and flavors drift away nicely. The Tasting Panel would pair this Pinot with a cranberry-glazed pork chops or with roasted Cornish game hen.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is a huge, explosive wine endowed with tremendous density, richness and power. Blackberries, cassis, graphite, minerals, spices and tar are some of the many notes that wrap around the big, dramatic finish. This is a stunning showing. Wow! Pierre Seillan describes this site as having a longer growing season and generally cooler temperatures than Helena Montana. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.

Exhibits an opaque blue/purple color along with scents of graphite, smoky oak, minerals, and blackberry/currant fruit offered in a ripe, opulent, full bodied, super-extracted style. The acidity, alcohol, and tannin are all beautifully integrated. It appears to be the most prodigious Cardinale since their sensational 1997. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020+.

A barrel sample of the 2009 looked very strong. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, it displays an up-front style as well as a 2005-like personality with seamless integration of acidity, tannin and wood, ripe fruit and a long finish. Although still unformed and primary, it appears to have 25+ years of aging potential.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is laced with intense mineral and savory notes that give the wine so much character and personality. Graphite, licorice, lavender, grilled herbs and menthol infuse the 2018 with tons of complexity to fill out its broad, ample frame. Vivid and wonderfully nuanced, the 2018 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Kiser En Haut is absolutely gorgeous. In 2016, the Kiser En Haut has a bit more depth and textural richness than it has had at times in the past, most likely the result of a growing season that was quite favorable. The 50% whole clusters are very well-integrated. I am shocked how well the 2016 shows given it was racked just a few days prior to this tasting.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Kiser En Bas is deep, pliant and super-expressive. Wells Guthrie opted to work with fully destemmed fruit for the Kiser En Bas 2016. Interestingly, the two Kiser Pinots are not as differentiated today as I would have thought. It will be interesting to see where things end up when the wines are bottled.

The 2016 Syrah Brosseau is shaping up to be a real beauty. Silky, layered and polished, the Brosseau has a tone of potential. The 50% whole clusters are barely perceptible. Delicate and nuanced, with superb persistence and depth, the 2016 has a lot to offer.

A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a lovely perfume of flowers, raspberries, black currants, smoke, vanilla, and spice box. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with loads of concentration as well as some tannin and oak to shed, it should be at its finest between 2009-2019.

A wine I’ve bought in certain vintages and have been thrilled with how beautiful it has aged, has been the Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale (800 cases) is still in barrel as they want to keep it there for another 4-5 months in both French and American oak prior to bottling. It’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, notes of cedar wood, bouquet garni, blackcurrants and black cherries, with loamy soil undertones in the background. It’s full-bodied, with impressive purity, structure and gradually building palate presence. The finish has velvety tannins. Look for this wine to be approachable on its release in a year or so, and evolve for 15+ years.

The fabulous 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Cougar Vineyard is unquestionably the finest of these three vintages. It possesses a saturated blue/purple color, gorgeous aromas of creme de cassis, smoke, graphite, and vanilla, and fabulous purity of fruit. Layered and concentrated, with sweet tannin, it should drink well for two decades.

A huge, explosive wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard hits the palate with a rush of pencil shavings, smoke, tobacco, incense, blackberry jam and tons of inky blue/purple fruit. This is a very typical 2013 Cabernet built on intense fruit, vibrant acidity and broad swaths of tannin. As such, readers should be prepared to give the 2013 at least a few years in the cellar once it is bottled and released. I imagine the 2013 will still be compelling at age 20, and likely beyond.

Deep ruby. Explosive, high-pitched aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice. Densely packed and sweet, with terrific inner-palate energy and violety perfume to the black fruit and mint flavors. Fruit-driven, high-pitched and quite long. Seems suaver and more energetic than the Helena Dakota.