One of the most underrated Cabernet Sauvignons made in the world is Arrowood's 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. Made from an assortment of vineyards in Sonoma, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 23 months in primarily French oak. Its youthful dense purple color is followed by notes of truffles, spring flowers, new saddle leather, creme de cassis, cedar and spice box. Fabulously full-bodied, pure and multidimensional, but still youthful, it is not as backward as the Monte Rosso, and should hit its peak in another 2-4 years and age effortlessly over the following 20-25 years.

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the debut vintage of La Muse is composed of fruit from Sonoma (62%) and Napa (38%) vineyards. It appears to have reached full maturity, but it possesses the density and richness to last another 10-15 years. From a challenging vintage, it reveals a dark plum/garnet color along with a full-bodied nose of coffee, fruitcake, underbrush, forest floor, mocha and chocolate. This outstanding effort is one of the top 1998s from northern California.

Composed of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot (89% from Sonoma and 11% from Napa), the 1999 is a much younger wine than the 1998 and still has some upside potential. A deep ruby/purple color is followed by notes of graphite, unsmoked high class cigar tobacco, black currants and flowers. Round and generous with some tannins in the finish, it is close to full maturity and should drink well for another 15+ years.

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2003 comes from four sources, the Alexander Mountain Estate, Knight's Valley and small quantities of fruit from Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill. Made in a deep, full-bodied, masculine style, it possesses tremendous intensity (as do all of these wines) as well as plenty of black fruit notes intermixed with forest floor, underbrush, truffle and a hint of burning embers reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux. Super fruit, ripe tannin and a long finish give this wine a youthful yet complex personality. It needs 5-6 years to reach full maturity where it should last for two decades.

Still an infant in terms of development, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) requires another 4-5 years of cellaring, and is capable of lasting 25-30 years. Another convincing example of this iconic vineyard now owned by Gallo, it exhibits medium to full body, abundant truffle, camphor, tobacco leaf, black cherry and black currant fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, plenty of tannin, tremendous purity and texture, and an expansive finish that lasts for 50+ seconds.

Richer, softer and sexier, the youthful 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota reveals more boysenberry and briery mountain fruit interwoven with crushed rock, graphite, espresso and white chocolate characteristics. More stunningly perfumed than its sibling, it, too, is an infant in terms of its development. Cellar it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following 25+. Verite's French winemaker, Pierre Seillan, makes these wines. When I tasted these cuvees right after bottling, they were so massive and enormous, it was hard to discern their full personalities, so it was a pleasure to taste them at age ten, even though they are still infants in terms of development, and reveal only a small fraction of their ultimate potential. Both are 100% Cabernet Sauvignons aged 14 months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling.

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche (from that iconic site on the west side of Rutherford planted in gravelly, loamy soils) is composed of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a classic nose of loamy soil, kirsch liqueur, Provencal garrigue, black currants and spice box. Full-bodied, opulent, fleshy and fully mature with fabulous balance, it is hard to ignore this stunning 2001. The good news is that there were 2,400+ cases made of it from this 22-acre site. It is capable of lasting another 15-20 years. Two brilliant efforts from Freemark Abbey, this is the first time I tasted these wines as I missed them when I tasted the 2001s eight years ago.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (85% Sonoma fruit and 15% from Napa), this fully mature 1998 should drink well for another 10-15 years. Notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, Christmas fruitcake, black currants and loamy soil emerge from this beautifully constructed, rich, full-bodied effort. It comes across like a serious Pauillac from Bordeaux.

From the Reverie Vineyard, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain (475 cases produced) displays a dense purple color (that has not changed since I tasted it eight years ago) along with wonderful notes of graphite, burning embers, charcoal and sweet cassis as well as licorice. Full-bodied with excellent fruit purity, it is the most evolved and fragrant of these three wines. Drink it now or cellar it for another 15-20 years. Winemaker Chris Carpenter, who has worked for the late Jess Jackson for many years, hit pay dirt at Lokoya in nearly every vintage. Certainly these 2001s have aged magnificently over the last decade. These 100% Cabernet Sauvignons are aged for 18-22 months in 100% new French oak and are bottled with no fining or filtration.

A barrel sample (70% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec) of the 2009 exhibits a deep ruby/plum/purple color in addition to aromas of black currants, sweet cherries, loamy soil, coffee and Christmas fruitcake. Medium-bodied, soft and fleshy, it may not reach the level of the 2008, 2007 or 2005, but will be a top notch effort.

Tasting as if it had just been bottled, the 2001 Stature comes from some remarkable vineyard sites, including the Beckstoffer To-Kalon, Stagecoach and Atlas Peak vineyards. Composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, it exhibits beautiful lead pencil shavings, pen ink, blackberry, blueberry, cedar and camphor notes. This full-bodied, moderately tannic 2001 has a long life ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030.

This attractive blend of 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec is round, fruity, soft, fleshy, medium to full-bodied and seemingly fully mature. Enjoy it over the next decade. It is the most evolved and least concentrated of Verite's 2002s.

A lighter-weight La Muse (and probably the least intense since the 2000), this blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc (61% from the Alexander Mountain Estate, 21% from Chalk Hill, 11% from Bennett Valley and 7% from Knight's Valley) is an elegant, fresh, lively wine offering up notes of berry fruit, crushed rocks, spring flowers, forest floor, coffee and roasted herbs. This sweet, round 2010 should be seductive early in life as well as one of the fastest developing La Muse cuvees to date, drinking well during its first 15 or so years of life.

More backward and less precocious and mature is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore, a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Like Bosche, winemaker Ted Edwards ages it two years in French oak prior to bottling. The Sycamore Vineyard, just south of Bosche, is planted in gravelly clay and loam soils. The wine reveals a dark, dense ruby/purple color along with copious spicy oak notes intermixed with blackberry, cedarwood, Christmas fruitcake and licorice characteristics. Deep, full-bodied and moderately tannic, this youthful 2001 will benefit from another 2-3 years of bottle age and drink well for 15+ years. Two brilliant efforts from Freemark Abbey, this is the first time I tasted these wines as I missed them when I tasted the 2001s eight years ago.

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana has become more civilized with bottle aging. It exhibits sweet, dusty, loamy soil notes intermixed with black raspberry, black currant and floral aromas, an intriguing minerality, abundant but sweet tannin and a youthful, full-bodied mouthfeel. It needs another 5-6 years of cellaring and should keep for an additional 25-30 years ... it's that powerful, dense and impressive. Verite's French winemaker, Pierre Seillan, makes these wines. When I tasted these cuvees right after bottling, they were so massive and enormous, it was hard to discern their full personalities, so it was a pleasure to taste them at age ten, even though they are still infants in terms of development, and reveal only a small fraction of their ultimate potential. Both are 100% Cabernet Sauvignons aged 14 months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling.

Composed of 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec from Chalk Hill, Bennett Valley, Knight's Valley and Alexander Mountain Estate vineyards, the 2006 is a chunkier, more monolithic, deeply colored La Muse. It is capable of saturating the palate with full body in addition to revealing more tannin, structure and foresty, meaty, animal-like notes as well as a distinctive truffle-like component. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.

A blend of 44% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Franc, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec, the 2003 possesses copious aromas of graphite, truffles, asphalt, camphor and blue as well as black fruits. Medium-bodied, stylish and elegant, the wine is close to full maturity and should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 10-15 years.

This blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec is a broodingly burly, masculine wine with lots of intensity and richness, but not the finesse, charm or overall complexity of top vintages of La Joie. More undeveloped and monolithic than usual, it may simply need additional time in the bottle.

The most impressive wine of this trio is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon 20th Anniversary. Fashioned from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the winery's finest Howell Mountain lots, it boasts a dense purple color along with a big, sweet bouquet of boysenberries, blueberries, black currants, licorice, charcoal and damp earth. There is great fruit on the attack and mid-palate, plenty of tannin to be resolved and a fresh, long, concentrated, vigorous finish. It will benefit from another 2-3 years of cellaring and should drink well for 15+ years.

A barrel sample of the 2009 looked very strong. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, it displays an up-front style as well as a 2005-like personality with seamless integration of acidity, tannin and wood, ripe fruit and a long finish. Although still unformed and primary, it appears to have 25+ years of aging potential.

The least expensive of this trio, the fully mature 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma, is showing beautifully. I remember loving it when it was released, and it now displays even more longevity than initially predicted. Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it retains enough stuffing to last another 7-8 years, and it could turn out to be like the great Souverain Vintage Selection 1974, which was delicious when released and continues to drink well at age 37. This cuvee exhibits a dense plum/ruby color as well as a big, sweet kiss of black cherries, black currants, licorice and earth. Medium to full-bodied with supple tannins, this is undeniably a sleeper of the vintage. To reiterate, this sexy Cabernet Sauvignon can be drunk now and over the next 7-8 years.

Composed of 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from Sonoma, this totally mature, soft, round, fruity red offers up hints of underbrush, fruitcake, black currants, sweet kirsch and licorice. By no means the most complete or concentrated La Muse, it is the fastest to hit full maturity. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

A strong showing for the 2010 barrel sample revealed lots of fruit in this primary, unevolved blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. With a low 14% alcohol and an elevated pH of 3.72, it reveals lots of blue and black fruit, cedarwood, toasty oak and white chocolate characteristics. This lighter-styled, medium to full-bodied effort's personality appears to be similar to the 2000 Le Desir's.

The one wine that appears to have outstanding potential is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cougar Ridge, which comes from blocks high on the Alexander Mountain Estate. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is extremely tannic, powerful, broodingly backward, and meant for 30-40 years of aging. While tasting the wine, I equivocated whether the tannins were just too ragged and astringent, but there is a lot of concentration in this Cabernet as well as plenty of black fruits, a vivid minerality and a big, forceful, masculine style with plenty of wood. Forget it for another 5-6 years, keep your fingers crossed and hopefully it will turn out to be as outstanding as my rating indicates.

The first vintage of Verite's Le Desir, the 2000 is a blend of 51% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from Jess Jackson's Sonoma vineyards. This well-made wine exhibits fruitcake notes intermixed with round, herbaceously tinged berry fruit and a hint of subtle oak in its medium to full-bodied, tasty, spicy personality. Fully mature, it will not be long lived by the standards of Verite, but it should continue to drink well for another 5-6 years.