A tangy and elegant Russian River Valley wine with smoky, complex and charming flavors.

Smooth in texture, with a pretty band of cherry, herb, spice and cola notes that are ripe and focused. Finishes with firm tannins.

Medium body, acid and fruit. Medium oak and tannin. Coffee, vanilla, berries, vegetables. Beautifully focused strain of berry fruit, soft in the mouth, but kept lively by acids.

Smooth, velvety and elegant, with a nice range of plum, currant, toast, cola and spice aromas and flavors. Very pretty to drink now through 1996 or 1997.

Smooth, velvety and elegant, showing nice plum, currant, toast, cola and spice character. Very pretty to drink now through 1996 or 1997.

"…exhibits a deep plum color, followed by knock-out aromatics of roasted coffee, chocolate, and berry/cherry liqueur. Rich, smoky, exotic, and hedonistic, it should drink well for a decade.

Saturated blackish red. Full-bodied. Highly extracted. Heavily oaked. Moderately tannic. Reminiscent of plums, brown spices, earth. Deep rich black fruit nose. Dense extracted mouthfeel with earthy richness and ample tannins in balance through the finish.

Dark ruby color with some opacity and a complex nose with scents of jammy red and black fruits, smoke, sausage and new oak. The wine is rich, full-bodied, and velvety-textured, with admirable extraction, but no harsh tannin or annoyingly high acid.

It may have a big batch of Merlot in its makeup, but this rich, ripe wine smells very much like a very good Cabernet. Its black cherry fruit tinged with olivey and sweet rooty, loamy notes leads to a very solid, supple wine in the mouth. Its ending tannin asks but a few years of cellaring

Revealing a similar tannic firmness and copious black currant fruit, the 1997 Cabernet is a spicy, lavishly wooded effort.

tasted last year & just being released, is also powerful, but the tannin is sweeter & the wine riper, richer, & more expansive on the mid-palate. It should last for 15-20 years.

The wine reveals the ripe fruit their Alexander Valley vineyard achieves. The use of heavily toasted Demptos barrels and indigenous yeasts for fermentation give these wines provocative aromatics. The Cabernet Sauvignon is built along the line of the Merlot, offering a hedonistic mouthful of fleshy, rich, briery, dense, berry, smoky, and herb-tinged fruit. Full-bodied, with a lashing of sweet tannin, this lusty, decadently rich, flamboyant Cabernet Sauvignon should drink well for 12-15 years.

More saturated color. Knockout aromas of plum, tobacco, tar, lead pencil and game. Big, rich and fat; a seductive style of wine but does it have as much substance as flash? Not quite as sweet on the palate as on the nose, and ultimately a wine of very good rather than outstanding depth and intensity of flavor.

Ruby. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked. Moderately tannic. Currants, black cherries, chocolate. Smooth, supple, and rich on the palate, this exhibiting excellent ripeness of fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Drinking well now, but will develop nicely.

Spicy, herbal, cedary nose. Spicy, rich black fruit flavor, with soft tannins and much structure. Needs time.

Medium body, acid and fruit. Lots of oak and tannin. Vanilla, nuts, pine, black fruits. Overwhelming oak character sets fruit awash in creamy, toasty mouthfuls. Warm rich.

Dark red cherry, plum, leather, spice and tobacco are all pushed forward in the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point. Drink this attractive Cabernet over the next handful of years.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Cougar Ridge is another soft, attractive wine with good depth to match its mid-weight feel. Dark fruit, smoke, tobacco, spice, leather and licorice all take shape nicely in the glass.

Savory herbs, raspberry jam, flowers, mint and spices all meld together in the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge. Dark, powerful and authoritative, this juicy, flavorful Cabernet impresses for its balance and overall class. There is plenty of depth in the dark fruit, yet I would prefer to drink the 2011 sooner rather than later.

Bright red-ruby. Dark aromas of cassis, licorice, menthol, tree bark and fresh herbs. Spicy, savory and juicy, showing enticing sweetness to its intense black fruit and licorice flavors. Finishes with dusty tannins and slightly elevated acidity.

The opaque purple-colored 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge comes from elevations ranging from 500 to 2,400 feet. It offers up aromas of stones, sweet red and black currants, and a big rich attack followed by a touch of herbaceousness. The latter component kept my score from going higher. Composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, it was aged 18 months in one-third new French oak. An excellent Cabernet with moderately high tannins, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring, and should drink well over the following decade.

Mocha, espresso, cassis, violets, vanilla and French oak all explode from the glass as the 2010 Legacy Red Wine opens up. A full-throttle, intense wine, the 2010 isn't shy. Although quite rich and unctuous, it has plenty of underlying structure to balance the intensity of the fruit. A silky, racy finish rounds things out nicely. The 2010 is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, plus dollops of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.

Good bright red-ruby. Cool aromas of blackberry, licorice, menthol and violet. At once ripe and dry, offering attractive lift to the cassis, cherry, tobacco and brown spice flavors. Finishes juicy and persistent, with dusty tannins and good floral lift.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument is gorgeous and totally juicy. Blackberry jam, blueberries, savory herbs, tar, pencil shavings and sweet spices all burst from the glass in this deeply resonant, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. Hints of mocha, espresso and vanilla linger on the finish. The 2010 includes a splash of Petit Verdot and Malbec to round out the Cabernet. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.