Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Shy aromas of black raspberry, dried cherries, and brioche. Discreetly concentrated flavors of black cherries, blueberries and bramble caressed by ripe, finegrain tannins, persisting on the slightly tart cherry pie finish. Sleek, elegant and refined, weaving a stylish dance ever so lightly on the palate.

Closed nose, hint of green pepper, sweet oak; very rich, sweetish fruit, fairly tannic, concentrated, tight.

…it is a banner year. While some of these wines are almost impossible to find, they will be among the most compelling efforts ever made in California.

1997 will rival 1994 and 1991 as one of the greatest years…it is a banner year. While some of these wines are almost impossible to find, they will be among the most compelling efforts ever made in California.

…it is a banner year. While some of these wines are almost impossible to find, they will be among the most compelling efforts ever made in California.

Ripe, deep, almost perfumed aromas carry smoky, toasty notes from oak and these same ripe, rich qualities continue to show in the flavors of this wine. Big, tough and almost chunky in the mouth…

Soil character here is balanced out with rich, ripe fruit and textured with lush, round tannins. It's a big, well-structured wine that could use three to five years to mellow and fully show itself

[Among] California's most exceptional producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and proprietary red wines. "This wine is an immense, monster-styled Cabernet Sauvignon that is vaguely reminiscent of the pre-1976 vintages of Mayacamas, but with more complexity and finesse. It is a mountain Cabernet with an opaque black/purple color, followed by a tight, backward, but promising nose of licorice, minerals, and black fruits. The inky color suggests a formidably-endowed wine, and that is just what this huge, super-concentrated, impressively-endowed Cabernet Sauvignon represents. The wine is not just a ponderous heavyweight, as anyone who examines its equilibrium, harmony, and potential for 20-30 years of aging should notice. Remarkably, this wine was kept in 60% new French oak barrels, but the oak has been soaked up by the wine's intense fruit level. Patience will be a virtue required by prospective purchasers of this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.

The Turkey and Wines to Grace Your Table This Thanksgiving Walking Napa Valley’s version of the red carpet is a collection of highly allocated, hard-to-get Cabernet Sauvignon stars. We’ve got our glasses at the ready for the bold and beautiful new releases, like Lokoya’s foursome of mountain-grown Cabernets, each of which offers a study in the region’s microclimates and varied terroir, from the porous soil of Diamond Mountain to the cool and wet terraces of Spring Mountain. This year’s 2015 vintages— which weathered a challenging growing season with grace—are especially full of backbone: The Mt. Veeder ($395), for instance, brings the wine’s signature blueberry notes to the fore with new vigor. All those tight tannins can obscure the flavors if you sip too soon (decant for two to six hours first), but they also lend the wine the structure it needs to age for the next 15 to 25 years.

Which new-release Napa Cabernet Sauvignons will tempt you this fall? Our online oenophiles weighed on their perfect autumn pour.

30th Anniversary Best of the Best Grand Grapes - The most delicious and worthy wines released over the last year A whiff of fresh mint on the nose gives way to blueberry pie and black raspberry with muscular, dusky notes of lamb. The long finish is dry and savory, leaving you craving another sip.

Dark crimson. Meaty, Marmite nose and then very sweet and a bit diffuse on the palate. Lively, slightly vegetal finish. Very ambitious and more readable than the Howell Mountain 2014. Still quite tannic. 16.5/20

Here’s a balance of modern luxuriousness and mountain grip. Dark cherry and mocha are wound together with beautiful floral aromas and spice.

Very dark crimson. Rich, intense, ambitious. Rather hot on the end. Very concentrated but that doesn’t make it a pleasure to drink. Drying, introvert finish. Tannins still quite marked. 16/20

Wine Style Awards - 3rd place (3/10) - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon category

Lokoya wines endure the passage of time The real wild card in the lineup was Lokoya Mount Veeder 2013. Grown on the northern end of the Mount Veeder AVA, the vineyards are situated high above the fog line. An elegant wine with blue fruit notes emerged. Blueberry mixes with a spice rack of flavors. It’s big and structured with bold tannins, yet, with its fruit core, remained elegant.

Lokoya wines endure the passage of time Sourced from three vineyards, the Lokoya Spring Mountain 2013 has coffee grinds on its nose and is almost black in the glass. Despite appearances, it’s the most feminine of the wines in the lineup. The green of the mountain note is present with conifer, but I was stunned a wine so young would have blackberry and raspberry flavors.

Lokoya wines endure the passage of time The Lokoya Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is full-bodied with tannins that begin to round out on the finish. Flavors of semi-sweet chocolate, minerality and gun metal stand out as black fruit, tar and conifer fill out the profile.

Lokoya wines endure the passage of time Across the valley to the Vaca Mountain range came the Lokoya Howell Mountain 2013. Sourced from the W.S. Keyes Vineyard, which sits near the top of the Howell Mountain AVA, it’s a powerful wine with a lengthy finish that marched on for what seemed like 30 seconds. Dark in the glass and full-bodied on the palate, it had wet earth, dust, mountain scrub and an herbal note. It was untamed, feral and had the minerality of a mossy, wet rock.

Best of 2014: Current Release Wines

This tightly knitted, intensely saturated pure Cabernet presents a near-perfect medley of blueberry, roasted coffee, and mushroom flavors laced with the sweet scent of wildflowers. Although its complex profile will pair with a long list of favorite dishes, its purity, to our minds, calls for a perfectly grilled filet topped with toasted sage and a mound of melting Roquefort.

Winemaker Christopher Carpenter has produced a beautifully flavorful Cabernet from this Mount Veeder estate. Although, in each vintage he produces four different Cabernets, each from a specific appellation, in 2010, this property outshone even its illustrious siblings. Bursting with elements of cassis, mocha, tar, and lush blueberry, this stalwart red will certainly hold up to at least two decades of being in the cellar.