Forest floor and leafy herb notes with bold, well-ripened black fruit, with spice, coffee and anise.

Concentrated and muscular, with cassis, plum, graphite and chocolate notes. Firm tannins need time, yet it's fresh and focused.

Generous cassis nose, ripe, but not overly.

Deep, resonant cassis/mulberry nose. Refined structure, good core of fruit, long satisfying finish- this is terrific.

K-J turns out oceans of wine, but it's all made with the precision of a boutique grower. The new Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth and round, with ripe, dusty tannins for structure and toasty French oak for mouthfeel, spice and complexity. It's all Napa and Sonoma fruit, with splashes of Merlot and Petite Verdot, and is aged 15 months in wood, 34 percent new barrels. Aromas of cassis, blackberries, cocoa and brown spice are followed by notes of cedar, smoke and earthiness on the palate. If you're overwhelmed by all the labels on wine shelves today, don't worry a second about picking a Kendall-Jackson wine. They're always on my short list of reliable, affordable producers.

Intensely colored and shy at first, then opening up to show tightly wound blackberry, cassis, gravel dust, coffee aromas, nice red currant and raspberry flavors, a bit of cola and licorice and lots of rocky minerality and stiff muscular structure.

Of the three Highland Estates Cabernet Sauvignons, the 2004 Trace Ridge is the softest, full of blueberry with hints of coffee and coriander.

The 2004 Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet is a spicier blend of plum, boysenberry, and tobacco.

Among the virtues of this Cabernet are that it is very concentrated in ripe fruit character - and yet it is not overly huge and powerful. The concentration comes from the vineyards, which, at 900 to 2,200 feet, are high and have shallow, poor soils typical of mountain sites that foster small, concentrated grapes. Another virtue is the soft, velvety tannin that makes the wine very enjoyable even at this young age. A large glass will enhance the wine's warm blackberry, toffee and dusty-earth aromas, as well as its ripe black cherry and cassis flavors; a narrower glass will enhance the wine's concentration.

Ripe plums and black currants come to mind when tasting this medium-to-full-bodied red, which seduces the drinker with hints of mint and soft tannins. Kendall-Jackson may be best known for its wines under $20, but this strong effort can hold its own with the big reds of Napa.

A Cabernet lover's dream come true. Here's proof positive that power and balance are capable of coexisting in harmony. The complex array of ripe, berry-driven fruit are skillfully monitored by deeply tiered layers of chewy black minerals, graphite and lead pencil. Full-bodied, spicy and loaded with rich deep texture and nuance, this Cab gives plenty to enjoy now; it's also capable of delivering pleasure with a future in mind. In my book, that's a win-win any way you slice it.

Dynamic and layered with rich blackberry compote, pound cake, cinnamon, cassis and coriander aromas. Loaded with ripe fruit but focused thanks to plenty of acidity and lots of mountain tannin.

The 2004 Napa Mountain from Mt. Veeder in Napa Valley, with its massive tannic structure, is the most powerful of the lot, redolent of blackberry, cassis, violets, and wet granite.

A nice little 2004 replay that reminds us that the vintage was one of the greats in recent Napa history. This one shows all of the mountain-grown breed we have come to expect (and crave!) from this very special terroir of Mount Veeder. Here, all of the generous fruit we love from Napa collides with olive, earth and tobacco in one complex and beautiful package. Superlong and special.

Hillside fruit rocks! Thanks to thinner soils, the vines planted on the slopes of Napa's Mount Veeder have to work harder than those on the valley floor. The end result is flavor-packed, balanced fruit from vineyards over 1,250 feet above sea level and a 100 percent Cabernet whose limited production yields an alluring wine that reveals a myriad of pleasures - black currants, cassis, eucalyptus, chocolate, spice, roses and violets - sip by sip.

The Highland Estate Vineyards are mountain, hillside or ridge vineyards - all producing small quantities of concentrated, flavorful wines. This one on Mount Veeder is a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon that has an almost impenetrable deep color. With dark, heady aromas of meat, smoke and blackberry, its very seductive nose promises full flavor and complexity. On the palate it's a big, rich mouthful of wine. This is a true structured Napa Cabernet that requires roasted meats, venison or game.

Very dark crimson. Rich and sweet and pretty focused, almost like a Penedes Cabernet in its frankness! Sweet and vibrant...

Lovely cedary fruit, black fruit too. Round, high acid, plump, fruity, modest. Lovely balance. Tannins integrated. Good. 5 years.