Herbal and floral aromas with hints of violet, toasted oak, and dark berries. Still young and frisky, needs to mature to justify its lofty price. Concentrated fruit and firm tannins hold promise of lush complexity to come, as well as a longer finish.

Earthy, celery salt, sandalwood, spicy, black cherry, gamey, meaty aromas with a hint of strawberry tea. Soft, round, supple and dry with sweet cherry, vanilla, spicy, celery, strawberry jam flavours and a smoky, orange rind finish. Warm but balanced with good acidity. Fine effort and fine value.

Very good value if you like your zin with forward, ripe flavors. The palate includes raspberries, chocolate and spice.

definitely a wine designed for drinking rather than long-term keeping, sports plenty of well-defined fruit and a few fancy oak extras.

delivers a full measure of well-defined berryish fruit in a smooth and polished package.

Deep ruby to the rim. Aromas of blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate and licorice. Huge, broad and silky, with a wonderfully suave texture. Flavors of dark berries, chocolate and mocha. As fat as this is, it's also quite lively. Finishes with uncanny breadth, horizontal tannins and outstanding plalate-staining persistence.

Bright ruby-red. Blackberry, licorice and mocha on the nose. Densely packed and juicy, with sharply delineated dark berry and floral flavors. Large-scaled, but light on its feet owing to its lovely lift. Serious, gripping wine with a long, bright finish.

There's something almost Zinny about this wine, with its brambly, briary, notes of wild blueberries and blackberries and sun-warmed summer bark and dust. It possesses fabulous intensity, but those mountain tannins are palate-numbing, and they shut down the finish. Demands time beyond 2010.

Dark ruby-red. Black cherry, mocha and licorice on the nose. Ripe, broad and dry; suave and sophisticated. Flavors of red berries lifted by floral and mineral components. Densely packed, backward wine, finishing with substantial dusty tannins.

Good full ruby. Elemental, extremely primary nose features grapey blackberry, licorice and violet pastille. Big, sweet, broad and creamy; a huge, powerful wine with slightly rustic flavors of dark chocolate and minerals. Finishes with compelling sweetness of fruit, and very broad tannins that arrive late. From a block of vines that was recently torn out due to phylloxera. The richest of this trio of cabernets. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that the intention here is to make three wines of place by using neutral winemaking techniques. The only difference among the wines is maceration times, he added. All three of these bottlings are close to 15% alcohol.

Good bright, deep ruby. Aromas of blackberry, violet, espresso, bitter chocolate and maple syrup. Sweet, broad and extremely primary, with black fruit and espresso flavors framed by well-integrated acidity. Finishes very long and chocolatey, with building tannins.

Saturated ruby to the rim. Aromas of blueberry, black cherry, menthol and licorice. Inky, dry and backward, with medicinal briary berry flavors. A hugely structured wine that finishes with a boatload of tannins. This massively constituted wine grew sweeter and more pliant as it opened in the glass. This may well develop in bottle for 15 to 20 years.

Good bright ruby. Briary aromas of cassis, black raspberry, bitter chocolate and minerals. Bright, juicy and intensely flavored, with lively acids firming the black raspberry, black cherry and bitter chocolate flavors. This boasts excellent inner-palate energy. Finishes very long and pure, with sweet tannins and terrific grip. I tasted a pre-fining sample, as most of the wine had just been bottled and was in a shocked state. Incidentally, Cardinale is now 100% from Napa Valley fruit, while Verite and Anakota are entirely from Sonoma.

Bright ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black plum, licorice, chocolate and menthol; slightly reduced. Sweet, lush, broad and deep, with black cherry, mocha and cocoa powder flavors complicated by a balsamic note. Finishes with dusty, building tannins.

Good bright, saturated ruby. Very dark, briary aromas of kirsch, bitter chocolate, licorice and espresso, lifted by spices. Sweet, lush and creamy, with rich, deep flavors of berries and dark chocolate. Finishes with impressively sweet, fine tannins and excellent length.

Good medium ruby. Medicinal black fruits and flowers on the n0ose. supple, dense and rather suave, with more complexity and spice character than the Helena Montana 2002. Very French in its combination of breadth and uncompromising dryness. The subtle finish shows sneaky, palate-coating length. Very suave wine. Helena Montana is like Latour, while Helena Dakota is more Lafite, says Jess Jackson, hopefully. I underrated this wine a year ago.

Good full ruby. Highly aromatic nose of blackberry, black cherry, leather and spices, with complicating mineral, herbal and earth notes. At once creamy and juicy on the palate, with black fruit, mint and earth flavors. Still a bit youthfully brutal on the end, finishing with building tannins.

Deep ruby. Captivating, vibrant aromas of cassis, blackberry, bitter chocolate, licorice and white pepper, lifted by mint. Large-scaled and broad on the palate, with sweet, lush flavors of crushed cassis, black cherry and pepper, enlivened by fresh, will-integrated acidity. Finishes with big, toungue-dusting tannins that reach the front teeth. Serious zinfandel with personality.

Full medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose of cassis, violet, licorice, cocoa powder and black pepper. Supple and impressively sweet, but with terrific backbone under the intense black fruit flavors. A very broad, round wine that's not at all heavy. And not especially muscular for a mountain wine. Broadens out impressively on the back end. A very good showing for both of these Dakota vintages.

Underwent a very late malolactic fermentation and was about to be bottled when I tasted it in early March, showed a spectacular nose of nectarine, orange blossom, pineapple and minerals and a creaminess on the palate that was buttressed by juicy acids.

With American Jess Jackson's first venture into Bordeaux, he has shown that, along with his top-flight French winemaker, Pierre Seillan (of Verite fame), he is capable of achieving immediate success. This is a relatively hot micro-climate, and the vineyard is well-situated on both limestone and sand, several miles from Pavie and Larcis Ducasse. The 2003 was a good beginning, and the 2004 Lassègue, a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, is meant for patient connoisseurs. There are 4,500 cases of this deep ruby/purple-colored St.-Emilion. Its powerful, sweet nose of cassis, licorice, smoke, and damp earth is followed by a medium-bodied, tannic effort that is best cellared for 4-5 years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020+

Good full ruby. Aromas of black cherry, blueberry, gunflint, smoke and slate. All crushed fruit in the mouth: black cherry, boysenberry and blackberry. Juicy and imploded today, with very fresh acidity intensifying the fruit. Finishes with powerful but ripe tannins that will require at least a few years of bottle aging. Very bright, structured zinfandel.

Ruby-red. Slightly medicinal aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice and menthol. Bright but lush, with enticing black cherry and blackcurrant flavors complicated by a floral note. Still a bit youthfully reduced, but broad and juicy. Finishes with a a subtle suggestion of chocolate truffle with marc.

Aromas of pear, stone fruits, nutmeg and vanilla, with a whiff of apple pie. Sweet, concentrated and urgent, with lovely pear-flavored fruit and considerable fat. Finishes with excellent length.