This 88% Merlot / 8% Cabernet Franc / 4% Cabernet Sauvignon blend is equal parts Alexander Mountain, Knight's Valley and Bennett Valley fruit with a tiny bit from Dry Creek. The wine grew incrementally as it sat in the glass. A dense purple color was followed by aromas of loamy soil, charcoal, asphalt, Verona chocolate, freshly brewed espresso and abundant blackberry and cassis fruit. This deep, rich beauty is still young and primary, but is loaded with potential. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.

Composed of 84% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec (51% from Knight's Valley, 38% from Bennett Valley and 11% from Chalk Hill), the 2003 boasts copious chocolate espresso notes, fabulous fruit intensity, an unctuous texture, wonderful freshness and a long finish. With higher alcohol (14.2%) than most of its siblings, it comes across as somewhat of an adolescent even though it has reached full maturity. Like the 2002, it can be consumed with great pleasure now or aged for another 20-25 years.

A spectacular blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, over two-thirds of the fruit from the Alexander Valley Mountain Estate and the balance from Knight's Valley and Bennett Valley, the 2002 La Joie exhibits a sweet, opulent bouquet of charcoal, burning embers, forest floor, blackberries and kirsch. Deep, full-bodied, supple-textured, flamboyant and extroverted with undeniable purity as well as finesse, it should drink well for another 20-25 years. Interestingly, the pH is a normal 3.61 and the alcohol is only 14.1%.

The 2001 Le Desir (50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec) came from Alexander Valley Mountain Estate fruit (two-thirds), 30% from Chalk Hill and a tiny dollop from Knight's Valley. The most evolved of these three wines, it exhibits complex notes of spring flowers, underbrush, truffles, forest floor, camphor and red as well as black fruits. It possesses an opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, fabulous purity and density and a long finish. The finish for all three of these wines lasts for close to a minute. Each represents extraordinary craftsmanship and, essentially, vinous confirmation of the vision of the late Jess Jackson. Those who think too many California wines are over the top may be surprised to know that the 2001 La Muse has a pH of 3.63 and a real natural alcohol of 14.1%. La Joie's pH is 3.65 and its alcohol is 14.2%, and Le Desir's pH is 3.68 and its true alcohol level is 14.1%.

A blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon (84% of the fruit from Sonoma and 16% from Napa), the 1999 is soft enough to be considered fully mature. Sweet aromas of espresso roast, plum sauce, black currants and forest floor are followed by a delicious, chewy, complex wine that should drink well for another 12-14 years.

A barrel sample of the 2009 La Muse, a blend of 86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, was from the Bennett Valley (31%), Chalk Hill (42%) and Alexander Mountain Estate (27%). Sweet cassis, crushed rock, spring flower, black currant and coffee notes as well as an undeniable minerality emerge from this big, full-bodied, powerful wine. Surprisingly deep and concentrated for a 2009, it may turn out to have the longevity of the 2005.

The 2001 La Joie (71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc) remains a backward, youthful wine revealing an inky/purple color as well as notes of graphite, licorice, creme de cassis, truffles and new saddle leather. It has fabulous fruit on the attack and mid-palate, a massive, concentrated, tannic mouthfeel and a long finish. Even younger than La Muse, it needs another decade of cellaring and should age for 40-50 years thereafter. Pierre Seillan told me that 44% of the grapes came from Alexander Valley, 35% from Knight's Valley and the rest from Chalk Hill. These are the visionary efforts of the recently deceased Jess Jackson, one of the great men in California's history of high quality winemaking. Verite was started in 1998, when Jess Jackson brought over Bordelais winemaker Pierre Seillan, and essentially gave him carte blanche authority to pick the best fruit he could to fashion these three cuvees. La Muse is his version of a Pomerol, made from Jess Jackson's high-elevation vineyards in Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Chalk Hill, the La Joie is his Medoc look-alike from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and of course, Le Desir is a Sonoma clone of a St.-Emilion, made generally from high quantities of both Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with just a little Cabernet Sauvignon in them. These wines are the epitome of natural wine, aged 24-32 months in new French oak, with wood staves selected by Jackson and his team in France, and the wines then bottled unfined and unfiltered. There's no acidification, no additional concentration by reverse osmosis, and obviously no water added. The production of each cuvee runs between 1,500 and 2,000 cases. According to Pierre Seillan, the aim was to produce wines capable of lasting 25, or in some cases, even 40+ years, and based on the three vertical tastings I did of all the cuvees made to date, the great vintages will certainly attain that potential longevity.

One of the flagship wines of the late Jess Jackson's Artisans and Estates limited production offerings is the 2001 Cardinale, a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot from some of the finest Jackson-owned vineyards on Mt. Veeder, Keyes on Howell Mountain, Alexander Mountain Estate as well as purchased fruit from the Stagecoach, To-Kalon and Peter Michael vineyards. This sensational, layered, opulent, voluptuous 2001 (the last vintage in which any fruit from Sonoma was used in the final blend) boasts a dense purple color along with a big, rich perfume of kirsch, creme de cassis, subtle toasty oak and incense. Full-bodied, round and generously endowed with an endearing corpulence, this fleshy, full throttle, juicy Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2001 can be drunk now or cellared for another 15+ years.

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.