USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain is very deep purple-black colored and gives expressive black cherries, kirsch, warm blackberries and boysenberry scents with touches of sawdust, red roses, camphor and cinnamon stick plus a waft of stewed tea. Full-bodied, the palate reveals a lot of depth with tons of red and black fruit layers and savory accents, framed by ripe, firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift and some mineral notions coming through.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm There was no Wallis vineyard fruit used this vintage. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cardinale charges out of the glass with notes of fresh blackcurrants, blackberries and Black Forest cake plus hints of menthol, cardamom, baking spices and lilacs plus a waft of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with firm, grainy, ripe tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and mineral laced. 1,440 cases produced.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard, bottled six months ago, is very deep purple-black in color. Red roses waft sensuously, provocatively out of the glass, taking center stage until the notes of kirsch, blackberries and black raspberries come through, followed by Ceylon tea and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied, very freshly perfumed and drop-dead gorgeous in the mouth, with a firm, grainy frame and long, mineral-laced finish. 900 cases produced.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Fruit for this was harvested on September 8th, and the wine was bottled six months ago. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard gives up exuberant notions of warm blueberries, crème de cassis, lilacs and chocolate box with hints of fertile loam, licorice and menthol. Medium-bodied, elegant, very fresh and juicy, the palate has beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and perfumed. 1,200 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 This will be the last vintage of the Monte Rosso vineyard for Arrowood moving forward. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso aged 32 months in 52% new oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. It's deep ruby in the glass, offering kirsch, blackcurrant liqueur, exotic spices, new leather, cedar and chocolate-covered cherries with an undercurrent of cast-iron pan, cured meats, aniseed and a classy framing of new oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, silky and slow to unfold, blossoming with flavor layers. It has a frame of seamlessly woven acidity and finely pixelated tannins, finishing very long. This is a stunner! It's gorgeous now, but give it the few more years in bottle that it deserves. 171 cases produced.

An amazing wine, possibly the winery's finest Sycamore ever. It's ripe and concentrated, in typical California Cabernet fashion. It dazzles with black currants, crème de cassis and chocolate, yet is firm and dry throughout. The tannin-acid balance is near perfect. Really impresses for sheer power and authority, and will age for a very long time. Best after 2018.

An amazing wine, possibly the winery’s finest Sycamore ever. California Cab doesn’t get riper or more concentrated than this. It dazzles with black currants, crème de cassis and chocolate, yet is firm and dry throughout. The tannin-acid balance is near perfect. Really impresses for sheer power and authority, and will age for a very long time. Best after 2018.

The 2017 Chardonnay Machado is a sensational effort from this terrific region. From a site right next to Clos Pepe composed of sandy loam soils, it offers a light color yet terrific intensity in its poached pear, citrus oil, floral and salty seabreeze aromatics. Beautiful on the palate as well, with bright acidity giving some cut to what's a rich, textured, concentrated wine, it's going to put on weight with a year or two in bottle and have over a decade or longevity.

Here's a meritage which works superbly. Deep purple color leads to wonderfully expressed aromas of violets and black currants, add to flavors of the same sort. The cabernet/merlot fruit is ripe but elegantly put forth, and oak is present in its proper supporting role. One would have to consider this wine, in style and in quality, in the same league as contemporary vintages of Cheteau Margaux. Its fruit is so compelling that enjoyment over the next two to three years would be best.

Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets - Part 1 The 2016 Cardinale is distinctly aromatic and nuanced. In 2016, winemaker Chris Carpenter built Cardinale around a core of Spring Mountain fruit. Perhaps for that reason, Cardinale is a bit more refined in the early going than is often the case. Silky, fine-grained tannins and mid-weight structure frame expressive dark cherry, plum, chocolate and new leather, but it is really the wine's overall feel that stands out most. A dollop of Merlot adds to a feeling of openness in this super-expressive Cardinale from winemaker Chris Carpenter. A range of sites in Stags Leap, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Mt. Veeder and St. Helena round out the blend.

The 2015 Cardinale is dark, sensual and totally beguiling. Voluptuous fruit and soft, racy contours make a strong opening statement. The dark cherry, mocha, smoke, plum, spice and new leather flavors are all amped up in a seamless, alluring Cardinale that is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth. There is so much to like here.

Weekend Wine Picks Every year Cardinale begins with 50-plus lots of wine that winemaker Chris Carpenter eventually reduces to a handful of complex, aromatic selections that are all about intensity, texture and length. In 2015, it was Diamond Mountain and Spring Mountain that would carry the load. Carpenter and his followers insist that the wine be different every year by taking what the land gives you. In this case, the red, floral fruit of Spring Mountain is the shell while the voluptuous mid-palate and fine, dense, silky tannins are supplied by the Diamond Mountain fruit. Volume is low the yields are down the cases are few. A slightly cooler version than 2014, the 2015 is at least as good if not better. Time will tell. If you can’t wait, a lamb leg would be an excellent match.

Bright purple color. Needs time to open up, but has lovely aromas: showing blackberries, dark currants, plums, concentrated but lovely fruit, with complex notes of sweet pipe tobacco, mint, eucalyptus, black tea, vanilla. Full-bodied, structured but so velvety and suave, medium acidity keeping it vibrant. Blackberry, cassis, plum, mixed with a complex host of roasted chestnut, espresso, tobacco, mint, charcoal, earth and mineral. Complex, long-lasting, this could be buried and forgotten for a long time but gorgeous and polished young. A blend of fruit from 12 different vineyards across Napa Valley, with a focus on Mountain fruit, this includes 10% Howell Mountain Merlot. This is aged 20 months in 84% new French oak.

Washington Wine Blog Top 100 of 2018 - #16 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.

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.