This is a well-made wine at a more-than-fair price. Labeled varietally, it also holds smaller additions of other Bordeaux red grapes, most notably 6% Cabernet Franc. Black pepper, leather and cassis surround smoky oak and firm, integrated tannin, making for a complex, full-bodied and balanced experience.

Thick, coating tannins surround a concentration of toasted oak and wild-berry fruit—the mountainous provenance of this wine further defined by its tenacious holdings of sage, cedar and graphite. With memorable intensity, it unwinds to show additional complexity and flavors of black licorice as it evolves in the glass.

A huge, strapping Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Jackson Estate Trace Ridge hits the palate with huge black fruit, gravel, smoke, tobacco, licorice, bittersweet chocolate and cured meats. Veins of Knights Valley tannin extend the finish and give the wine much of its distinctive character. This is another Cabernet that should drink well for a number of years.

Dark and brooding to the core, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Alexander Valley is another wine with a strong, distinctive personality. Dark red and black plum, mocha, oak and mineral notes are quite expressive in a rich, fruit-driven Cabernet Sauvignon. Savory notes lurk in the background, but the style here emphasizes power and intensity.

A jump up in quality is noticeable with the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Alexander Valley. This beauty, made from 91.6% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, reveals an opaque purple color. It sees about 20% new French oak and three-quarters of the barrels are French and the rest American. Lots of vanilla, baking spices, cedar wood and blackcurrants jump from the glass of this classic, full-bodied, velvety textured Cabernet Sauvignon with terrific fruit intensity and richness.

Dark and rich with blackberry, plum and cassis; smooth and deep with notes of vanilla new oak and a long, lush finish. 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.

This is a well-crafted wine that’s dense and delicious in juicy red fruit, black currant, licorice and nutmeg. With much of the fruit sourced from the Alexander Valley, this wine shows a managed level of ripeness and oak aging. Structured and lengthy on the finish, this is a nicely put-together package.

Charming, with a mix of rustic dusty berry and hot brick flavors, fine-grained tannins and subtle hints of gravelly tobacco. Gains depth and nuance on the finish.

Silky, polished tannins give the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain much of its considerable appeal. The flavors are bold, ripe and pungent with plenty of mountain character. Today, the French oak is a bit prominent, but otherwise, this is a very pretty wine with a lot to recommend.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Napa Mountain emerges from the same property that informs the Lokoya wines. Huge and intense on the palate, the 2012 possesses tons of richness and depth. Black fruit, smoke and French oak are some of the signatures. The mountain tannins have largely been tamed, which does give the wine a bit more early accessibility at the expense of site-specific character.

Close in quality to Cabernets costing far more, this has elaborate blackberry, cherry and currant flavors. The all-important mouthfeel is dry and crisp, with fine tannins. It's not an ager, but shows plenty of class.

Serious Cabernet, rich and complex and full bodied, made from Knights Valley and Alexander Valley fruit, with a few grapes from Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder. Dense and tannic now, but high toned, with waves of black currants, black cherries and oak. A good price for a Cabernet of this quality.

The outstanding 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Hills from Jess Jackson's holdings in Knight's Valley is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in nearly all French oak (45% new). Its dense opaque purple color is followed by notes of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, graphite and ink. Full-bodied and rich with moderately high tannins as well as tremendous concentration and length, it needs 2-3 years of cellaring and should keep for 15-20. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

The vintage was a good one for all K-J's Cabernets, and this Grand Reserve offers lots of bang for your buck. It's full-bodied and dry, with rich blackberry jam, red currant, licorice and cedar flavors that finish long and spicy.

The serious Cabernets start with the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Trace Ridge, which demonstrates once more the high potential for Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, especially when grown on hillsides. This classic Cabernet possesses plenty of black currant, licorice, cedar and spice characteristics.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Highland Estates Trace Ridge is from a Knights Valley parcel called Kellogg Vineyard, which is dominated by volcanic soils, especially the white tufa. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 21 months in 100% new French oak is a beauty, with layers of fruit much more supple than the Alexander Valley cuvee, with blueberry, black currant, graphite and spring flowers. It is full-bodied, rich and supple, and very much in keeping with the 2004 vintage in its lushness and heady, forward character. Drink it over the next decade.

Strapping black tannins hide this wine, needing a day of air before they begin to relent. Black fruit comes out from under their grip, sweet and ripe enough to balance the mineral savor. Hard edged for now, this should prove itself with eight or ten years of age, suited, eventually, to roast lamb.

The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Highland Estates Trace Ridge is made from 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in French oak. From an elevation between 500 and 1,000 feet, this wine exhibits notes of wet rocks, scorched earth and a Bordeaux Graves-like character. Medium-bodied with plenty of red and black currant fruit intermixed with hints of mulberries, licorice and forest floor, this complex, fully mature Knight's Valley offering should drink well for another 7-8 years.

Grown at the Jackson family's Alexander Mountain estate, this wine leads with tannin and ends with more savory tannin. In between, there's plenty of wild cherry and fresh black currant flavor to cut through the dense blackness. A sophisticated, foresty cabernet with the structure to evolve for a decade, this could be made accessible sooner by pairing it with a grilled T-bone.

A huge red, this big, black cabernet is full and complete all the way through. It tastes like a rich man's wine, solidly built, significant in structure and chocolate-warm.

Lightly fruity, exhibiting simple berry notes and firm tannins.

Delicious, almost sweet fruit flavors are wrapped in firm, velvety tannins for a seriously enjoyable experience. There’s a feeling of polish in the texture, and careful balance between full body, good tannin structure and lively acidity.

From mountain vineyards, with a touch of Petite Sirah, Grenache and Caringnane, this tastes like an old-fashioned field blend. It has that wild explosion of berries and stone fruits, but the winemaking was very fine, resulting in fine tannins and a soft, dry mouthfeel.

The 2012 Viognier Jackson Estate Alisos Hills is 100% Viognier aged in neutral American oak on its lees for ten months. Shockingly good, it boasts a terrific nose of spring flowers, wild berry fruit, lychee and apricots. This dry, rich, full-bodied Viognier may lack some minerality, but it compensates with extravagant fruitiness. Enjoy it over the next year or so.