Medium-bodied and forward with rich black cherry, currant and plum flavors. Mineral and mild herbal notes help balance the fruit and provide complexity and interest.

It is 89 percent cabernet sauvignon, 11 percent merlot from those 20-year-old vines, fermented more than a month and aged 20 months in French oak barrels, 41 percent of which are new. The wine has brilliant blackberry color, a delicate, perfumy aroma of cedar and plums, flavor that is bursting with fruit, packed with sweet tannins and nicely balanced with crisp acid.

Rounded, supple. Likeable fruit and oak flavors.

A supple, cedary cabernet.

Entry level cab. Wow! It's great. 3 stars.

The Stonestreet estate makes the most of its position on the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Alexander Valley floor. The volcanic soils, dramatic shift between day and night temperatures and range of elevations all influence the finished wines. Ripe and intense, this offers impressive fragrance and complexity. There’s a mix of dark fruit, both fresh and warmer, cooked tones with spicy and savoury accents. It’s drinking nicely now and will continue to develop over the next three to five years. 4½ stars.

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2018: Gold

Top 100 Wines of 2017 This is textbook Alexander Valley Cab, unafraid to show its savory side. Dried herbs, licorice, cedar and forest floor notes add interest to the well-ripened black cherry and black currant core. Medium-full-bodied and muscular, it will benefit from aeration now, or a few years in the cellar.

Established in 1995, the Stonestreet estate covers 2225 hectares of rich volcanic soil in the Mayacamas Mountains. This cornerstone California cabernet sauvignon says it all with an intense cassis, mulberry and cedarwood bouquet and a tight, sinewy profile. The bold flavours complement the fine-grained tannins. Roast beef is a solid match.

This is an impressive cab with layered flavors of black cherry, tobacco and cocoa. Round texture. Nice length. A steal for the quality.

A bottle of Screaming Eagle will set you back $850. With this in mind, you may be in the market for a cult-cab substitute, a knockout that’s a steal for the quality. We had an impressive line-up of bottlings that over-delivered, and the best deal in the flight is our wine of the week winner — the Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, 2014 Alexander Valley, Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, at $40.

Our Wine of the Week, Stonestreet Estate Vineyards 2014 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, is a classic beauty, with layers of flavor, restrained alcohol and a lingering finish. A swirl of tobacco carries flavors of black cherry, milk chocolate, white pepper and black pepper over the palate, with hints of smoke and dark top soil that resonate until your next sip. Try and you may notice subtle notes of sweet red pepper, too. The wine’s texture is luscious and juicy, yet, at the same time, elegant and mannered. Cabernet sauvignon is often described in masculine terms but this one is more dowager than gentleman; think Downton Abbey’s dowager countess of Grantham, when she’s in a good mood, with a twinkle in her eye: That’s this wine.

Need to Restock Your Cellar After the Holidays? Here Are 6 Promising Cabernets to Fill the Gaps From 2,400 feet in elevation, this Cab from Stonestreet has gently grippy tannins, making it built to last. Earth, mineral, and anise add complex layers to lively raspberry, cherry, and cassis, all melded in great balance.

This tasty Cabernet comes from the high elevation vineyards on the Mayacamas Mountains in California’s North Coast region. Tangy blackberry, cassis and fresh herbs lead the way with peppercorn, vanilla and caramel following on the finish – a favorite with Chef Ted’s hearty sirloin in mushroom sauce.

Stonestreet draws from Jackson Family’s dramatic benchland vineyards, some more than 2,000 feet above the valley floor — this one, from multiple elevations, might be the brand’s least structured — but not to worry, it’s got plenty of depth and grip to the textures. There’s a scent of bay leaf and cedar to go with the red plum and wild cherry flavors, a classically grippy mouthfeel, with a forresty, savory wallop of mountain tannin on the finish.

Very pricey but worth it, intense deep complex flavors, monumental. 4 stars.

A faint hint of pyrazines that lift a concentrated palate of dark fruits and resinous, forested notes with nicely executed oak use. Focused opening through the mid palate but the finish suddenly balloons out in a way that is surprising and makes it unclear if it will integrate with time in bottle or not. Fine, chalky tannins and mouth-watering acidity show potential but the wine currently is disjointed. Could come together with time in bottle. 15.5+/20 points

From the hilltops and benchlands of Alexander Valley comes this lovely Cabernet dusted in cedar and a faint rose-petal aroma. Along with a delicate supporting cast of oak and tannin, it offers black cherry, graphite and dried herbs, as well as a powerful concentration on the finish.

I was impressed by several Stonestreet offerings; the 2010 and ’12 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, produced from one of the estate’s highest vineyards, were supple and elegant—particularly the 2012 bottling.

The Stonestreet Estate Vineyards occupy 900 acres of the 5,100-acre estate atop the western edge of the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Alexander Valley. From the cooler 2011 vintage, the wine offers aromas of black currant and dark cherry with notes of green olive and citrus. On the palate, fruit flavors mingle with firm-textured tannins and finishing notes of caramel, mineral and coffee.

This wine is quite an accomplishment in flavor and complexity, given the chilly vintage and price. From high-altitude vineyards atop the Mayacamas, it delivers peppercorn, herb and mellow oak notes and fine, integrated tannins. Graphite and cedar also figure into the mix, along with black cherry and cassis. Pop the cork when the pigs in a blanket come out of the oven.

I was impressed by several Stonestreet offerings; the 2010 and ’12 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, produced from one of the estate’s highest vineyards, were supple and elegant—particularly the 2012 bottling.

Reminiscing on the 2010 Rockfall Cabernet Patience was rewarded in the best way on New Year’s Eve. In three separate instances, I’d tasted the Stonestreet Alexander Valley Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. All three experiences left such a lasting impression that I’d decided to cellar one last purchased bottle of the red wine and revisit it on a special occasion. As 2017 came to a close, I decided it was time, one last experience with the red wine from the Sonoma Estate’s mountainous vineyards to see how it had evolved on its journey through time. Paired with a ribeye steak, garlic mashed potatoes, kale and apple salad and cheesy garlic bread, the experience was brilliant, different and memorable. Lots had changed in the world and in my life since the wine was bottled, and that was discussed over dinner. Plenty had changed in the wine as it entered its eighth year gracefully. Secondary flavors had taken over, tannins were tamed and the dark fruit note in the wine played a complementary role. It was a little kick on the finish that left a smile. The wine’s color on the edges had softened a bit, to a lighter shade of purple. The wine in the middle of the glass was as dark as ever. On the nose, time in the bottle showed a dusty aroma with cedar, dried herbs and mountain brush aromas. I’d walked through the mountain vineyards on a rainy spring day in 2014, and the heritage of the wine now showed on its nose. With the calmer tannins came a silky, smooth mouthfeel. Flavors of soy sauce, cedar and gravely dust came into focus. The absolute charm though was the round blackberry note that swept in on the finish. It was more prevalent when I wrote about it on Sep. 8, 2015, with the tasting note of: Stonestreet Alexander Valley Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 ($100): Intensely dark violet color in the glass, beautiful dusty earth, quiet blackberry fruit with slate, pencil shavings and a savory meat component that intrigues. Sourced from blocks at 2,200 feet. My first experience with the wine was detailed in a Feb. 8, 2014, column. After the Altitude Matters wine tasting in Chicago, I’d written: Stonestreet, Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 ($100): Coffee beans, mocha, pencil shavings and a rocky minerality highlight an elegant wine. A lovely nose yields dark berry flavors and a hint of cigar box on the finish. If you have a bottle at home of the 2010 Rockfall, it will continue to change with more cellar time. But, on New Year’s Eve, I captured the wine at its best. At that moment, my last bottle had hit its peak.