A bit on the darker side both in color and aroma. Vanilla and red fruit. Rich and full with a nice level of tartness. On the bigger side of Pinot. Excellent.

Strawberry jam in a glass. Tons of fruit here. Tons. Rich and delicious. My wife’s wheelhouse. Excellent.

Good full, bright ruby-red. This and the Bosche were scheduled to be bottled this June. Reticent aromas of primary, brambly blackcurrant and blackberry, crushed cherry, licorice and blackberry leaf. A real essence-of-cassis in the mouth; dense and bright, with powerful medicinal reserve. This large-scaled wine finishes with big, tongue-drenching tannins and plenty of structure. At once sweeter and more tannic than the Bosche.

The 2017 Lassegue displays a deep garnet-purple color and quite a spicy nose giving up black pepper, cinnamon and cloves notes over a core of crème de cassis and preserved plums with a waft of dusty soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of chewy tannins and tons of black fruit layers, finishing long and spicy.

The 2016 Red Wine (Sonoma County) is laced with the essence of blackberry jam, chocolate, mocha, new leather and licorice. Bold and ample on the palate, with quite a bit of structure, the 2016 is decidedly ripe and also virile in style. The 2016 is shaping up to be the best wine from Cenyth yet.

A tank sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cenyth Red Wine Blend (a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon) gives a savory/meaty nose of Bovril and chargrill over a core of red currant jelly, cassis and crushed plums with a waft of red roses. Medium-bodied, it offers a firm structure of ripe, grainy tannins and great freshness cutting through the intense red and black fruits, finishing long and lifted.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cenyth Red Wine Blend—composed of 60% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec—is scented of crème de cassis, mocha and sautéed herbs with a waft of forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is firmly structured with chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a savory/earthy note.

The 2015 Cenyth is a slightly richer, thicker style of wine because of the vintage, but the acids are essentially the same, it’s just that the small crop and tiny berries seem to have given the wine more glycerin and textural impact than usual. This wine is dense ruby/purple and offers up forest floor, dark raspberry and spring flower garden notes. It is an exciting, elegant style of wine to drink over the next 12-15 years.

Vibrant aromas of black fruits lifted by minerals and violet. At once sweet and penetrating in the mouth, with terrific definition and floral lift to the black fruit and bitter chocolate flavors. Still youthfully clenched but appears to have the sweetness of fruit to support its huge tannins. Clearly the longest wine to date for this new label.

.boasts an opaque purple color, followed by thick, dense, black cherry and cassis flavors nicely dosed with high quality, smoky oak. Made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), with the balance Merlot, the wine is full-bodied, with impressive extraction and purity. There remains tannin to shed in this high class, beautifully endowed and structured wine that should be at its best between 2000-2025.

The 1995 Cardinale appears to be the richest and most intense Cardinale to date. ... it is deep and rich, with a sumptuous texture, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, plenty of tannin, full body, an exceptional extract and concentration. The wine's equilibrium and purity are to be commended. It will require 3-4 years of cellaring and should age for two decades or more.

A dense, opaque, black/purple color and a sensational nose of Asian spices, toasty new oak, cassis and herbs. Full-bodied and intense, with underlying gracefulness and style, this is the first vintage where Cardinale has merited its lofty price.

A big, boisterous wine, the 2013 offers notable intensity and energy in its dark cherry jam, raspberry compote, grilled herbs, smoke, licorice, dried flowers, gravel and spices. Firm mountain tannins shape the tightly wound, savory finish.

My First Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noirs (Part One) Another deep, lovely fruity nose with black cherry and spice. Really big fruit on the palate, which thins out a bit on the mid-palate, and the spice comes in on the finish. Outstanding.

The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Syrah, Saralee's Vineyard boasts notions of camphor, smoke, charcoal, blackberry liqueur, and acacia flowers. The complex aromas are matched by a deep, full-bodied, opulent wine with superb density and richness, low to moderate acidity, sweet tannins, and impressive depth.

One of the best wines in any year they release is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale, a selection of the best lots from multiple vineyards in Sonoma Valley. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is aged more than 30 months in a combination of new and used oak. It is the biggest of all these Arrowood wines, with a dense ruby/purple color and notes of cedar wood, blackcurrants, blackberry, and spring flowers as well as background toasty oak. It should drink well for at least 15-20 years, as previous vintages have certainly demonstrated.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Justi Creek Vineyard is the richest and inkiest of these three wines. Blue and black-toned fruits, lavender, smoke, violets and leather all blossom in a rich, pliant Cabernet. The Justi Creek is quite a bit sweeter and opulent through the mid-palate and finish. This opulent, intense Cabernet should offer a wide window of fabulous drinking pretty much upon release.

More forward, but still a long distance runner is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale, which was still in barrel when I tasted it. From a number of different vineyards, most notably the Monte Rosso as well as the Smothers and Lasseter vineyards, it reveals dense black cherry and black currant notes intermixed with notions of loamy soils and vanillin. This full-bodied, powerful, tannic Cabernet needs to be cellared for 4-5 years, and drunk over the following 20-25 years.

Inky blue/purplish fruit, crème de cassis, lavender, licorice and cloves run through the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana. Flamboyant and opulent to the core, the 2015 is shaping up to be a real jewel of a wine.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota is laced with the essence of graphite, smoke, gravel, pencil shavings, blueberry jam and dark spices. Firm, incisive tannins give the wine its shape and feel. This is a classic Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with all of the signatures amped up by the natural intensity of the year.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is much more savory and mineral-driven than the 2012, with a greater sense of Knights Valley character. Inky blue and black fruits, graphite, smoke, lavender and cloves are all very much alive in the glass. Underlying beams of acidity and salinity give the wine its pulsating energy and tension. This is a terrific showing from Anakota and Pierre Seillan.

Grilled herbs, blackberry jam, spices and graphite jump from the glass in a vivid, nuanced wine. The flavors are wonderfully clear and articulate, especially for such a big, resonant wine. Chocolate, mocha and spices are some of the notes that inform the rich, generous finish.

Good ruby-red. Cool aromas of crushed blackberry, cassis and minerals, plus a sexy candied note. Thick and powerful if a bit youthfully reduced, boasting strong, rather backward flavors of cassis, chocolate and iron. Finishes with huge, youthfully tough tannins that will require patience.

I have been to South America precisely once, and it was a memorable trip to Chile and Argentina. I left with the determination to return, to experience more of both countries, but particularly Chile, which has rich culture and traditions that are largely unknown in the U.S. Fairly light in the glass with pineapple and lemon, and a touch of oak. The palate is rich and unctuous with some initial fruit that is quickly subdued by a wave of butterscotch as well as considerable minerality. This is really a fantastic wine, but likely one that will not be embraced by the haters of Chardonnay. Rich, full, focused. Outstanding.