The 2004 Legacy Proprietary Red, a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and the rest equal parts Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, performed brilliantly. It is dense purple, with notes of graphite, black currant, vanilla and spring flowers. The wine shows earthy minerality, full-bodied power, and impressive ripeness in a youthful, vigorous mountain-styled Cabernet. Drink it over the next 15 years.

Far more backward and tannic and needing slightly more time is the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. Also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon bottled unfined and unfiltered after 24 months in French and American oak, 69% of this came from Monte Rosso and the rest from the Smothers-Remick Ridge and Murray vineyards. This is a larger production cuvee of 2,076 cases. Opaque purple in color, it displays notes of graphite, blackberry and cassis, a touch of vanilla and loamy soil notes. The wine is full-bodied, powerful and has yet to reveal its full potential. This is a beauty to keep in the cellar for another 3-4 years and drink over the following 15 or more years. It is interesting that Richard Arrowood always thought of 2004 as one of his favorite vintages and kept more of his Cabernets back for personal consumption than usual. He appears to have been prescient in his judgment.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana tastes like it is 2-3 years old. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon as well, came in at 14.5% natural alcohol and is aged 14 months in all French oak. This is a slightly higher elevation with more sandy and gravely loam soils, than clay and loam. Plenty of smoke, black currants, espresso roast and barbecue meaty notes are followed by a rich, full-throttle tannic wine. Someone suggested that these could be 50-year wines and I don't disagree with that, but that is easy to say when most of us will be pushing up daisies by the time 2064 rolls around. The point is that these are meant for long-term cellaring, although they are certainly approachable now and probably can be enjoyed with a nice grilled slab of beef.

Exhibits a tight, rich, supple core of blackberry and wild berry fruit, with cedary oak and hard black licorice details, ending with a long, dense, chewy finish that echoes the core flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2025.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Highland Estates Napa Mountain comes from their holdings on Mt. Veeder and represents 422 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that is, again, aged in mostly all-new French oak. With an extreme dark ruby/purple color, lots of blueberry, black raspberry, graphite and spring flowers jump from the glass of this deep, full-bodied, sensational wine. It is young, rich and another great example of Mt. Veeder's potential. All of this vineyard is planted at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,850 feet.

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.

The largest production cuvee of this quartet of impressive Cabernet Sauvignons is the 2004 Highland Estates Hawkeye Mountain. Just over 1,200 cases were made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in all French oak. This comes from various elevations of 400 to 2,200 feet. The wine has a dense ruby color, plenty of minerality with an almost chalky stoniness to the flavor profile. Rich black currant fruit, a hint of white chocolate, espresso, and full-bodied powerful flavors with moderate tannin give this wine a vigorous, almost youthful character. It can be approached now, but seems on the upswing and should evolve for at least another 15-20 years.

The final blend that Chris Carpenter fashioned was 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot. Lastly, and an outstanding wine, is the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% estate fruit, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Anniversary. This is the best block of the entire vineyard and has produced some great wines (the 1992 and 1993 made by Helen Turley were fabulous wines). This shows plenty of creme de cassis fruit, notes of wet rocks, graphite, vanilla and berries, especially black raspberry and black currants. It is medium to full-bodied with light tannin and is close to full maturity, where is should hold for 7-10 more years.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa, which is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and miscellaneous, spent 24 months in French oak prior to being bottled. This seductive style of Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied, opaque purple in color, with plenty of classic tobacco leaf, barbecue smoke, clove, black cherry and cassis. With oodles of fruit, it has a lushness and seemingly fully mature style, yet is capable of holding. Drink it over the next decade.

The 2004 Fifth Ridge Proprietary Red, which I don't think I tasted when it was first released, is a blend of 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Syrah and Cabernet Franc from the Alexander Valley Mountain Estate that was one of the favorite terroirs of the late Jess Jackson. This wine shows deep plum ruby/purple color with sweet, chocolaty, black cherry and black currant fruit. It is medium-bodied with excellent ripeness, good acidity and a certain minerality that trails off ever so slightly. The wine seems fully mature, but capable of lasting at least another decade.

In 2004, this iconic winery produced a proprietary wine called Josephine - a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest equal parts Malbec and Cabernet Franc. I don't think I have ever tasted it before. Most of it comes from the estate vineyards near Tychson Hill, well-known as a single-vineyard site of Colgin Cellars, which is adjacent. Deep, dark garnet with a big sweet kiss of black cherries and tobacco leaf, this medium to full-bodied wine has excellent ripeness, a round generous mouthfeel and a lush, succulent texture. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the “No additives” 2013 Preservative Free (PF) Shiraz is made with no acid, no sulfur and no fining agents. This medium-bodied, Australian certified organic wine is scented of warm blackberries and black cherries with added hints of black pepper and loam and hits the palate with plenty of juicy blackberry fruit, a soft backbone of finely grained tannins and balanced acidity. It finishes with good length. This is a really great example of a well-made, no added sulfur wine. Drink it now.

The 2013 Viognier is a little neutral on the nose, giving subtle notes of pears, nectarines and honeydew melon with a touch of nutmeg. Medium-bodied and showing a pleasant suggestion of oiliness to the texture, it gives a good amount of pear and melon-laced flavors before finishing long and spicy. Drink it now to 2016.

The 2012 Grenache labeled High Sands, from those old head-pruned vines, showed more tannins than usual, but also more restraint. It was toasty, with the Grenache fruit character surging underneath.

A 2013 Shiraz, labeled PF (for Peter Fraser), whole Shiraz grapes cofermented with 3 percent Roussanne, was made with no additions at all—no acid, no tannins, no cultured yeasts, no sulfur dioxide, and sterile-filtered to keep it stable. I found it fresh, with an expressive richness. For me, the assurance that nothing is going to spoil in the bottle makes up for any loss of texture from the filtration.

The 2010 Iron Heart Shiraz, from those red gravel soils, was less opulent than expected, a more upright style, taut, focused, more structural than flavorful. Clearly, it's built to develop in the bottle.

Beyond amphorae, Fraser is fascinated with aspects of the natural wine scene, despite his training in traditional enology. He made a 2013 Roussanne, fermented with its own wild yeasts, that he left on its skins for 120 days, a recipe for phenolic extraction that can lead to odd colors and flavors. For me, if you get the wine right, it doesn't have to be orange, he said. This was bright and clear. I found it tangy, with an open texture, excellent length, yielding hints of grapefruit, sealing wax, banana and earthy spice notes.

Full-throttle Californian Chardonnay from the heart of Napa Valley. This is such a well-known (and respected) winery. Aromas of toasty oak, pear and smoke.

Mocha and dark chocolate on the nose from generous oak aging. Black fleshy plums and dark fruit aromas and flavours on the palate of this full-bodied, supple red wine with a tannic grip. Decant 1-2 hours.

Savors and scents as long as its name; sure, there is concentration at every level, but like many mountain wines it's all delivered so prettily, like a linebacker running on tippy-toes.

After making stellar, reasonably priced wine in California, La Crema has expanded to Oregon's Willamette Valley. This terrific inaugural edition combines grapes from 10 vineyards and uses seven clones to create a floral and bay leaf nose with earthy berry and citrus flavors.

Merlot is the money grape in this delicious blend of Rhone Valley and Bordeaux inspired wines. And it's lovely, rich, ripe plum that delivers the inviting nose, followed by a layered palate of black and red fruits and supple tannins. The finish is long and inviting. This is a serious crowd-pleaser at a modest price. Besides Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Carignan and Syrah complete the blend.

Champ de Reves Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2011 ($40). Bright blueberry flavors highlight this delightful wine from the Anderson Valley. There are hints of anise and toffee with a good dose of mineral to keep it interesting.

Aromas of guava and apricot with pear and pink grapefruit flavors and wet stone elements. Lush, long and seductive.

When the Kendall-Jackson wine team puts their eyes and palates on the best lots of wine off the best single estate vineyards, the end result always rocks. These Jackson Estate new releases are limited-production wines. They are special. This is Pinot that makes you smack your lips, savor the last flavors as they linger on the palate. The cool climate of the Anderson Valley delivers acidity and pure fruit that is Pinot every inch of the way. It's cherry, blackberry, cola, spice, dark plum, vanilla, chocolate … and the list goes on. It has that needed acidity for a good spine. It has silky tannins off the grape skins. The grapes are off a ridge that rises from 1,500 to 1,800 feet high with chunky, broken rocks in thin soils. The weight in the mouth is like a French Burgundy.