Dark red. Aromas of red currant, cedar, menthol, tar and tobacco leaf, with a faint weedy quality. Juicy and fruity, with good flavor intensity but a slight greenness. On the lean side, with somewhat drying tannins. A good effort for the vintage.

Saturated dark red-purple hue. Brooding black-fruit, toasted-oak aromas. A tough entry leads to a full-bodied palate with well-extracted fruit flavors and whopping, chewy, drying tannins that grip the finish.

Firm texture and pretty fruit flavors promise much in this well-modulated wine, which echoes its plum and black cherry flavors enticingly on the chewy finish.

A bit more aged than its mates and delivering more of aged cedary patina from the outset along with a whiff of burnt walnuts, this wine has arrived at its peak and will now begin to dry out over the next four to eight years. It is oaky, briary and oriented to black cherries in its remaining fruit, and it possesses still a fair bit of sturdy structure, but its filling is drifting off and the best course would be to drink it up soon. One star and $24 when first reviewed.

Crisp, with firm tannins and just enough spicy currant and berry flavor to give it the depth and complexity you might hope for at this price.

Rich purple ruby. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted and oaked. Leather, currants, black cherries. This dense, chewy red features deep fruit meshed with a rather rich oak component. Finishes long. An attractive wine for drinking now or holding.

Dark, rich, chocolaty and still firmly tannic, with ripe cherry, herb and dusty cedar notes, touches of mineral and metallic flavors.

Woody in cedar, pencil shavings and toasted oak, this is a straightforward, full-bodied red, big in tannin weight and breadth that delivers big bold flavor and integrated oak.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve is blended of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, aged ten months in 6% new French and 4% new American oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it has an enticing nose of warm cassis, cloves, dried herbs and cedar chest. Medium-bodied with plenty of crunchy black fruits and a chewy texture, it has a refreshing line carrying of the spicy finish.

The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve has fragrant earth and violets hints over a blackcurrant and blackberry core with touches of toast and coffee beans. Firmly textured and with plenty of freshness on the medium-bodied palate, it has a good core of black fruits and an herbal lift on the finish.

A star (especially given the fact that there are 165,682 cases) is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Reserve. Made up of 89.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, all hailing from Sonoma, this is a deep ruby/purple-tinged wine with rich tobacco leaf, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with a touch of wood spice and barbecue notes. It is medium-bodied, soft and ideal for drinking over the next 5-6 years.

The tannins are assertive and dominant, with a savory tobacco leaf presence amid dried berry and anise flavors. A cedary oak note weighs in.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve is another huge, intense wine with tons of fruit and equally imposing tannins. A host of dark cherry, blackberry, spice and menthol overtones make an appearance, yet the 2013 remains tight, powerful and very much closed in on itself. Ideally, the 2013 should be cellared for at least another year or more. Most of the fruit is from vineyards in Alexander Valley.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Reserve (175,000 cases) shows silky tannins, classic tobacco leaf and blackcurrant fruit, medium body and a dark purple color. This is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest the other Bordeaux varietals, aged in primarily French oak, with some American barrels utilized. It should drink well for 4-5 years.

A fairly dry and tannic offering, dense and chewy, with dark berry notes and earth-laced fruit buried underneath.

Tight and tannic, this majority Cab wine is distinguished by a thickness of black fruit and herbaceous back palate that gives it density, separated by bursts of vanilla and oak. Give it time to open and notes of mocha chocolate should also come through.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Reserve (260,410 cases) is surprisingly European in style for a K-J wine. Nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon with just tiny dollops of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, it comes from Sonoma (88%) and Mendocino with a little bit from the Central Coast and Napa. Aged eight months in French and American oak, it offers up hints of licorice, bouquet garni, roasted herbs, and red and black currants, and medium-bodied, pretty, soft fruit. This wine could easily pass for a very good cru bourgeois from Bordeaux. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years.

Dependable, consistent, good. Dark fruit, almost full-bodied.

This has polished blackberry and black currant flavors, touched with oak. It shows real elegance and class.

A solid Cabernet, dry and full bodied, that shows the structure and flavors of more expensive bottlings. Rich in blackberries, currants and cedar, with hints of coffee and toffee and a touch of new oak.

Muddy, tobacco leaf, prune, blackberry, riparian, black olive, cedar, leather and five spice aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant but slightly tannic palate. Cedar, earthy, tobacco, black olive, green bean, cassis, spicy, coffee, dried herb and leather flavours. Solid, slightly rustic style to go with grilled meats.

Similar to the previous version, this 52/32/16 blend of Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino fruit is dry and reserved, with flecks of spice resin and olives. Again tighter and drier than the merlot, with lean peppery, blackcurrant fruit. Solid.

The 2006 Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest examples of this wine I have tasted. It exhibits good elegance as well as a spicy, berry, black currant, roasted herb, and spicy oak-scented nose.

This silky, plush Cab, which contains some Mendocino and Napa fruit, is ready to drink now. Dry and tannic, it has chicory and sage herb notes framing riper flavors of blackberries and cherries.

A true North Coast cabernet, with a rich spicy nose mixing cassis and vanilla aromas with flecks of leather, olive and spice. Dry, round, lean on entry, with more peppery, black olive, black currant fruit and vanilla flavours...