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.

The fruity, big-bodied Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve 2003 comes with an extra measure of oaky richness.

Clean fruit and velvet tannins offer sleek California ripeness for steak.

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll

This wine is full of intense flavours, black cherry, blackberry and black currant, giving it wonderful structure and a strong backbone, which helps the flavour to linger in the middle. It finishes with hints of vanilla. An affordable experience from a family-operated winery, which continues to create with increasing excellence.

Big oak, big black cherry fruit, big tannins; a real steak wine.

A classic Cabernet nose of cassis, with herbal notes, too. Good slightly ripe fruit, but not overly sweet, this wine is well balanced, and not an obvious New World fruit bomb. An elegant and restrained example of what California is capable of.

25 years after its birth Kendall-Jackson is still a family-run winery. This is not all about super-ripe fruit and high sugar levels - far from it. There is an attractive herbaceous base supporting the black currant leaf flavours that dominate the palate, although there are also hints of chocolate and spice.

Very dark crimson. Beige volcanic rock. Very fresh Cabernet notes. Clone 7. Quite high altitude. Much richer on the palate...

Warmer, riper, richer nose. Want to drink - very rich and ripe and four-square. Dry tannins underneath. Quite deceptive.

Plum jam and vanilla oak. Dark spicy plum fruit. Well balanced. Dryish finish. Nice length. Nice effort. Fine flavour. 3-6 years.

Smells somehow roasted yet mountainous - not unlike a high Argentine fruit. Dry finish. Spice and tar. Real vitality in this very exciting, expressive one-place wine.

Serves up tangy berry and cherry flavors that weave in olive, herb and earth tones... Drink now through 2007.