The massive wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot. This wine opens with a bouquet of coffee grounds, creme de cassis and dried herbs with a touch of blueberry cordial. This has a marvelous tension and weight. Creme de cassis, anise, mocha, blueberry compote and sandalwood flavors show impressively. The combination of weight and tension is marvelous here. Try to resist this gorgeous wine for at least another year.

A powerful, unctuous wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is striking. Intense, expressive aromatics make a strong first impression. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and leather. Deep, unctuous and beautifully layered throughout, the 2014 Cabernet is a fabulous wine in this vintage. All the elements simply fall into place effortlessly.

Vibrant purple color. Gorgeous, complex aromas of black currants, blueberry, black cherries, along with eucalyptus, tobacco pipe, espresso, chai tea, bay leaf, a ton of complex aromas to unpack. Full and powerful on the palate, velvety but shows powerful grip, moderating acidity. Plum, blackberry, black cherry, cassis, smooth but deep fruit. The fruit is surrounded by violets, sweet pipe tobacco, eucalyptus, cigar box, ginger snap, vanilla. This is gorgeous stuff, beautiful now, but let this unwind for a decade and see what happens. Includes 12% Merlot, this is sourced from 11 different Napa vineyards, and the wine is aged 19 months in 94% new French oak.

The nose is a polished and bright red berry, camphor, chocolate and dusty spice. The palate entry is polished yet shows well-integrated acidity built to age for two decades. Elegantly balanced with notes of blossom, wood spice, camphor, clove and dense blackberry.

A brilliant wine from winemaker Chris Carpenter and the Kendall-Jackson family, this blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, mostly coming from mountain vineyards owned by the Jackson family, is fabulous. The 2013 Cardinale Proprietary Red Wine is dense purple-colored, a big, sweet kiss of crème de cassis as well as licorice, blackberry and espresso are all present in this full-bodied, rather sublime and intense Cabernet Sauvignon that should drink well for 25 or more years. This was aged in about 91% new French oak for 18-20 months prior to bottling. It is certainly one of the finest Cardinales I have tasted in my experience.

A Cab-dominant blend that’s voluptuous and polished, yet with acid and tannin backbone for the cellar. Vivid, dark cherry fruit, seamless texture and a long, mouthwatering close.

The 2011 Cardinale is another of the many exceptional wines I tasted with Chris Carpenter this year. The 2011 is beautiful and exceptionally polished, but at the same time, the flavors are beautifully defined, crystalline in their beauty and flat-out striking. In this vintage, Cardinale is all about finesse and persistence, with less volume than some previous versions, but a touch more aromatic refinement. Today the 2011 is a bit compact, but I expect it to gain texture with more time in bottle. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot from vineyards on Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, the St. Helena bench and a small parcel in Yountville adjacent to Blankiet.

Chris Carpenter has done a fabulous job with the 2010 Cardinale. The wine boasts a huge center of fruit backed up by equally firm, imposing tannins. Layers of dark red fruit, mocha, cinnamon and new leather explode from the glass. The 2010 is a huge Cardinale endowed with superb depth, power and richness. At the same time, there is a mid-palate generosity and pliancy that leads me to believe the 2010 will drink beautifully once the tannins soften a touch. Hints of tar, graphite and iron add personality on the full-bodied, intense finish. The 2010 is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, predominantly from mountain sites. The ability to blend fruit from various top-notch sites works great here.

Napa Cabernet Sauvignon worthy of your cellar 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot. Opaque colour highly perfumed crème de cassis and raspberries mixed with a note of eucalyptus and smoke. Intensely flavoured and rich with volume well framed by savoury, partially resolved tannins and a juicy, vibrant aftertaste which lasts and refreshes.

Over 1,000 cases of the 2008 Cardinale were made from a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot. Interestingly, the To-Kalon portion is the only fruit source located on the valley floor, which is not surprising give Jess Jackson's propensity to buy, plant and source fruit from high elevation hillside and mountain sites. The 2008 exhibits a dense purple color along with sweet kirsch, unsmoked cigar tobacco, toasty oak and black currant characteristics. The wine hits the palate with a resounding opulence, full-bodied richness, moderate, sweet, well-integrated tannins and a long, heady finish. There is a floral component in the 2008 that was not noticeable in the 2007. This beautiful, full-bodied wine was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Slightly more evolved than the 2007, the 2008 should last for 20-25+ years. Here is a case where the 2008 is slightly superior to the 2007 (rated 94). From Jess Jackson's viticultural empire, this wine, made by Chris Carpenter, is essentially a selection of some of the best lots of grapes from six separate Napa Valley regions, including Veeder Peak, Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, the To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville and the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard.

The 2007 Cardinale Red Wine is a blend of 86% Cabernet with the remainder Merlot. This opens with aromatics of creme de cassis, coffee grounds, eucalyptus and wild thyme. The rich texture is outstanding here. Black fruits masquerade with chocolate and coffee notes alongside solid structure.

This is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. This begins with aromas of black tea, blackberry jam and mocha with crushed mint. Massive and hugely dense, this shows mocha, black tea, graphite and creme de cassis flavors that sit alongside some nice tension. The mid-palate weight is intoxicating. The finish is extremely lengthy and generous, as this is just a spectacular showing by Cardinale.

The 2005 Cardinale Red Wine is silky blend of 88% Cabernet with 12% Merlot. This warm vintage wine opens with a bouquet of black tea, graphite, mocha and creme de cassis. The texture is voluptuous as you can feel the heat of the vintage. Mocha, sandalwood, Chinese black tea and blackberry jam flavors impress. Mineral driven and rich, this is a stunner by Chris Carpenter.

Winemaker Chris Carpenter has turned out a brilliant wine that's a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, from the To-Kalon, Taylor, Veeder Peak and Keyes vineyards, so this is definitely a cross-Napa Valley offering. This wine has an opaque purple color, a big sweet kiss of licorice, incense, lead pencil shavings and a boatload of creme de cassis and blueberry liqueur. Tannins are present, but ripe, and the wine is voluptuously textured and full-bodied, with stunning purity and stature on the palate. This is one serious, yet approachable, proprietary red that can be drunk now, or cellared for another 10-15+ years.

Winemaker Chris Carpenter produced 760 cases of this blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot from four sources, a vineyard on Howell Mountain called Keyes, Veeder Peak, To-Kalon and Stags Leap. One of the Jackson family's top Bordeaux-styled efforts year in and year out, the superb 2003 Cardinale is performing even better than I remember, having put on weight and filled out. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along with sweet kirsch, black currant, Christmas fruitcake, cedarwood and forest floor notes. Deep, full-bodied and voluptuously textured with sweet tannins still in evidence, it can be drunk over the next 15 years.

A profound blend from superstar winemaker Chris Carpenter, the 2002 Cardinale is composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot from two of the Jackson Family's top vineyards on Mt. Veeder (70% of the blend), the Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain (12% of the blend), and the rest from fruit purchased from the To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. This spectacular 2002 is drinkable, but it is still 3-4 years away from its plateau of full maturity. A large-scaled, intense, extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon that combines power with elegance, it exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of vanilla, toast, creme de cassis, cedar and licorice. With gorgeous ripeness and texture in addition to a multidimensional personality, it can be drunk now, but will be even better in a few years. It will last for 15-20 years. There are 750 cases of the 2002 Cardinale.

Silky and velvety soft in the mouth, coating the palate with extraordinary raspberry and cherry flavors, enriched with sweet oak, and spiced with cloves, cinnamon and white pepper. There are even notes of coca and orange zest. Yet risk acidity makes it all clean and vibrant. It's hard to imagine a California Pinot Noir tasting better than this - and what a fantastic bargain. Drink now-2014.

Silky and velvety soft in the mouth, coating the palate with extraordinary raspberry and cherry flavors, enriched with sweet oak, and spiced with cloves, cinnamon and white pepper. There are even notes of cocoa and orange zest. Yet brisk acidity makes it all clean and vibrant. It's hard to imagine a California Pinot Noir tasting better than this - and what a fantastic bargain. Drink now-2014.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Hapgood comes from a site just beside the Machado Vineyard in the middle of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, and as with all these wines from Greg Brewer, it's not destemmed and is aged in neutral barrels. It's always a complex wine and the 2016 is no exception, giving up terrific light red fruits (white cherries, raspberries), Asian spices, salted peach, and exotic flower-like aromas and flavors. This medium to full-bodied beauty has the textbook salinity of the appellation, an expansive, layered texture, moderate tannins, and a great finish. It's just another sensational wine from this estate.

The 2016 Pinot Noir 459 is 100% clone 459 from the Machado Vineyard, and as in most vintages, it’s a more rounded, sexy wine than the more focused Machado cuvée. Awesome notes of ripe strawberries, rose petals, sandy earth, and spicy characteristics all flow to a full-bodied, incredibly seamless Pinot Noir that has nicely integrated acidity, fine, polished tannins, impeccable balance, and a great finish. I love it. This rocking release can be drunk any time over the coming 10-15 years or more.

Another ripe, sexy, voluptuous effort is the 2015 Pinot Noir Hapgood, and I always love this cuvée. Coming from a site just beside the Machado Vineyard, it never lacks for oomph and the 2015 gives up lots of kirsch, strawberry and framboise notes, with more spice, dried earth, flowers and savory herb notes in the background. Ripe, full-bodied and powerful, it still stays gracefully and lively, with a great finish. This is a classic Sta. Rita Hills Pinot made with the idea to show exactly what this terrific terroir can deliver.

The 2015 Pinot Noir 459 comes from the Machado vineyard and is 100% clone 459. It’s a more perfumed, sexy example of the straight Machado and offer sensational notes of salty red fruits, Asian spices, dried flowers, potpourri and sandy/loamy/dried earth characteristics. While it really showed a saltiness right on opening, it continued to show more and more classic Pinot Noir fruit with time in the glass. Supple, voluptuous, elegant and seamless, it’s a gorgeous Pinot Noir that could come from nowhere else.

The 2015 Chardonnay Hapgood comes from a site just across the road from the Machado Vineyard and consists of slightly deeper, richer soils. It offers slightly more tropical notes of pineapple, buttered citrus, white flowers and cream corn. It’s rich, voluptuously textured, deep and packed with fruit and texture, all while staying balanced and pure. It’s another sensational white.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara The 2013 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is a riper, richer expression than the 2012, displaying more honeysuckle, toasted spice, sautéed peach and baked apple aromatics. It offers a Meursault-like richness, toastiness, and length, but it will be interesting to see how it evolves. My money is on it evolving beautifully on its concentration, but it’s certainly a terrific drink today as well. It was easily my favorite in the lineup.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages One-hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyards reveals loads of red and black currants layers intermingled with notes of black olives, camphor, iron ore and violets plus a hint of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied and displaying loads of wonderful red and black fruit layers, it has beautifully plush tannins and a long, perfumed finish.