Offers a cedary edge, with dried berry, oak, espresso and gravel notes.

Offers a cedary, woodsy edge, with dried dark berry, oak, espresso and gravelly notes. Slow to expand but does so pleasantly, ending more complex. Mineral and graphite elements emerge on the aftertaste.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate (Alexander Valley) is terrific. A host of mocha, black cherry, gravel, smoke, dark raspberry jam and dark spices meld together in the glass. The 2013 is dark, imposing and structured, with fabulous depth and intensity. Gravel, smoke and game reappear on the back end.

A very solid, full bodied Cabernet that hits all the right markers for the variety in a ready to drink after a brief decant package that will be easy to find. Blackberry, cassis, a little plum, fall spice, faint dried herbs, and supple tannins with moderate grip and a medium long finish that satisfies. Yet another go to bottling from Kendall Jackson that will please a range of tasters at a reasonable price.

Such an elegant, yet expressive Californian Cabernet on the nose. Aromas of blackcurrant cassis mingle with dried herbs and cigar box. The palate opens to layers of dark fruit anise and smoke. Terrific balance, depth and length with a dry finish. This Californian red wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in Sonoma, mostly Knights Valley. It's actually a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, and a splash of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. The wine was matured in French oak barrels mostly, with a few American oak barrels for the 2012 vintage. Pair with filet mignon or lamb with rosemary.

Racy acidity and ripe plum and blackberry fruit; velvety texture, vanilla oak and a long, dense finish.

Dark red cherry, plum, savory herbs, gravel, mint, smoke and tobacco are some of the many notes that inform the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve. Voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2011 is powerful, layered and accessible. It should drink well for at least a handful of years.

Toasty oak and dusty plum and cherry; spicy with notes of mocha and cinnamon; lush and complex with a long finish.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve wraps around the palate with expressive dark red plums, blackberries, graphite, savory herbs and violets. Rich, layered and expressive, the 2010 stands out for its overall balance and sense of harmony. Firm tannins frame the energetic finish, but at the same time, the 2010 has no hard edges at all, which is so rare for a wine made from mountain fruit. Once again, Kendall-Jackson delivers the goods. The 2010 includes dollops of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.

Soft and supple in black cherry and currant, this mountain Cab expresses an herbal underbelly of elegance, with finely formed minerality. It’s approachable and juicy now but will gain complexity 2017–2021.

Soft and supple in black cherry and currant, this mountain Cab expresses an herbal underbelly of elegance, with finely formed minerality. It’s approachable and juicy now, but will gain complexity with time; drink 2017–2021.

Inky purple. Spice-accented cherry and dark chocolate on the nose, with a bright mineral quality adding lift. In the mouth, bitter cherry and peppery spice flavors become sweeter and broader with air. A subtle herbal quality builds on the smoky finish, which features round, harmonious tannins and lingering sweetness

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve explodes from the glass with black fruit, grilled herbs, licorice, smoke and tar. The Grand Reserve reveals tons of energy and exceptional overall balance. In 2009 the blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, all from the Alexander Mountain Estate Vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.

Brisk acidity and lovely ripe black raspberry and juicy cherry; supple and zesty with nerve and good grip.

Fresh cherry flavors fill this wine with ample fruit, soft and plush in the middle, juicy in the end. It's a finely made cabernet with a gentle structure holding all the elements in place. For flank steak.

Smoky, peppery, cedar, chocolate, tobacco, roasted meat, licorice root, earthy, cassis, and menthol aromas. Ripe, round, supple, elegant palate with light, dry tannins. Cassis, chocolate, vanilla, peppery, black olive, green bean, meat, tobacco, mineral, licorice, earthy, tea flavours. Somewhat tight, austere finish that should soften over the next few years.

Plenty of blackcurrant, with hints of roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate. It offers lushness on the mid-palate, opulent texture and elegantly balanced tannins.

A firmly structured, dry Cabernet whose thick mountain tannins frame classic Cabernet flavors of blackberries and cassis, elaborated with smoky new oak.

The Grand Reserve is now mostly a Sonoma blend and it remains a big, glossy, sexy version of this classic California. Look for ripe, toasted black fruits and blueberry, with soft round mid-palate textures more like the '04 and a mocha cedar finish. After all is said and done, the GR cab is made from only 1.5 percent of all KJ cab lots. The '06 contains 95 percent plus cabernet aged in 90 percent French oak, of which about one-third is new. Classic, generous New World-style red. Good value at this price point.

In some ways, this is the richest of the Highland Estates triplets because it comes wrapped in generous layers of rich and creamy oak, and while it displays plenty of fruit in its lavishly sweet and concentrated aromas, it is also unremittingly tannic in its texture and dry and tough as it finishes. Because its ripeness is controlled and its fruit and acid are balanced and youthfully energetic, it is entirely possible that the wine will hold up for the decade and more required for it to open.

Cabernet yields powerful tannic extract in this mountain vineyard, here worked into a soft, luxurious texture. The cherrylike fruit is merely a backdrop for the tannic complexity. An accessible mountain red to serve with prime rib.

Not to be taken for less than exciting is this ripe and somewhat rugged bottling from the very top of the eastside mountains above the Alexander Valley. Like its cellarmate from Napa, it is deep and tasty and in need of cellaring. It is perhaps a bit less polished in feel and exhibits a bit of a dried leaf overlay, but its depth and sheer mass will make it a fan favorite for those whose palates prefer Cabernets in need of bottle age.

Blends fruit from Napa and Sonoma and most of that off top benchland. Look for a rich black fruit nose with spicy, cassis notes. On the palate it's rich ripe and round with coffee, vanilla, peppery blackberry fruit flavours and a long smooth finish with substantial but soft tannins.

Sleek and smoky, this wine has a rich velvet feel that draws out the sweetness of the tannins. A classic California style based on clean, ripe fruit, this is built for a New York steakhouse.