Text book high end Cab Sauv from the winery that wrote the book. 3½ stars, superb.

Raise a glass to women in wine this month This month we toast women. March 8 marks International Women’s Day, with the entire month of March celebrating Women’s History Month. To celebrate, enjoy a few wines made by women. Though the number of female winemakers nationally and internationally is still small, the number is growing, with female owners, winemakers, enologists, and vintners taking their rightful place at the table, producing stellar wines from all over the world. Consider one of these selections to honor women, all available throughout Hawaii Island. A lifelong curiosity of learning has led Arrowood winemaker Kristina Shideler to follow her passions to produce varietal wines showcasing Sonoma. Arrowood Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, from vineyards sitting on the edge of Napa Valley with a long growing season, delivers a bold, robust, rustic expression of the grape with black cherry, pencil shaving, leather, and chocolate.

A smart cab with layered notes of black cherry, plum, leather and cocoa. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins. Lovely. 4 stars.

A structured cab with good bones. Deep cherry flavors, with herbs and spice in the mix. Lingering finish. 3½ stars.

This wine, which showcases the Knights Valley AVA, has notes of cherry, currant, blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, mocha, spice and herbs. It’s a nice Cabernet at an even nicer price point.

Some cabernet sauvignons to pair with your Valentine’s Day meal This is a lot of wine for the money. Bold plum and black cherry flavors with good concentration, texture, and hints of clove and cocoa powder.

Need to Restock Your Cellar After the Holidays? Here Are 6 Promising Cabernets to Fill the Gaps Exotic florals, mocha, and baking spice underpin black plum and cherry in this top Arrowood Cab. This is a powerful wine, with impressive structure integrated with the fruit.

8 new wines to try in 2018 It’s tough to find decent California Cabernet at a good price these days, especially one as well-built as this. If you’re looking for an opulent red ultraplush wine with sweet, ripe fruit, this ain’t it. What we have here instead is a balanced composition of red and black currants, dusty cocoa, espresso, cedar, and eucalyptus, all on point and showing well. There’s also a good streak of minerality and dusty tannins keeping everything in check. Hey, it’s still a Cabernet Sauvignon; feel free to give it a good decanting first so all those flavours can easily develop. Food pairing–wise, think lamb shank, sirloin steak, hamburgers, and other meaty delights.

Given away by California standards! A bit sweet and ripe and typical but not a bad price. Straightforward. 16/20

I also liked the soon to be released 2012 Arrowood Monte Rosso Vineyard Cabernet, made from the Monte Rosso Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, although it was still quite tannic and closed.

The Arrowood winery lies in Sonoma County, tucked between the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountain ranges. Grapes for this wine were sourced from the Sonoma, Knights and Alexander Valleys. The wine has just the right amount of oak – mostly French, 20% new – and is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Look for aromas of blueberry and plum with notes of orchard blossom and dark cherry. The palate adds nuances of baking spice and anise, yielding to a soft and flavorful finish.

This is a tasty cab with flavors of cassis, plum and black pepper. Firm tannins. Supple texture. Aromatic, reeling you in with notes of blackberry and plum. Lingering finish. Lovely.

Floral aromas, flavors of black cherries and spice, ripe tannins, mellow.

Good or bad, vintage assessments for Napa cabernets tend to spill over onto the reputations of cabs from Sonoma County. But there are some good examples from Sonoma that are still available. For example, the 2011 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon ($35), which is a good buy, is bright and savory, with red fruit, notes of anise and olive, and drying tannins.

You’d be hard pressed to find an equally delicious and full-bodied cabernet for this price. Arrowood produces a dependable cabernet sauvignon, although we could argue that it doesn’t have any unique qualities. Blended with merlot and petit verdot, it has an enjoyable roundness with generous aromatics and juicy raspberry and black cherry flavors.

A cabernet with great bones (structure) and ripe fruit. What makes this impressive is its concentration of fruit - blackberry and black raspberry. Notes of herbs and spice in the mix. Lush texture.

This reasonably priced cabernet sauvignon is ready for drinking with fruit-forward character and ripe plum and cherry flavors.

This is a complex cab, with layered flavors and great structure. It has firm tannins with aromas and flavors of cherry, currant, cassis and plum. A smart holiday pick.

Hint of oak, aromas and flavors of black raspberries and dark chocolate, big, ripe tannins, full body.

Dark, rich nose of minerals, smoke, oak and savoury notes. Opulent, in-your-face caramel and toffee cake with some grip on the back palate. Quite interesting.

This is a very nice cabernet sauvignon that is aged in both American and French oak. A plum and cassis nose leads to black cherries and a bit of oak in the mouth. Great now but should age well for at least three to five years.

Concentrated flavors of black cherries and cassis with pleasant additions of chocolate and black pepper. Round mouthfeel and fruit-forward style make it a delicious wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County often has a dried plum or black currant note, perfect with these earthy, deeply flavored steaks.

A tangy cabernet sauvignon with good acid and nice focus. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry and spice. Good length.

Push the boat out with these very limited-production Sonoma Cabs.