cabernet sauvignon pg 22 champagne pg 36 dinner with hugh johnson pg 38 year in review pg 40 best buys pg 41

deember 2012

2012One of the great joys for us in this happy business of tasting wine is the range of topics and approaches we are able to bring into our work over the course of the year. Not every Issue of the Guide is special, but some are and this is one of them. Like the January Issue that focuses on Zinfandel because of our sponsorship of the annual ZAP event here in San Francisco, or the Rhône Issues of March (Rhône Rangers tasting) and July (when we delve into all the Rhône varieties and find ourselves face to face with such limited production favorites as Grenache, Marsanne and Roussanne), this Issue and the November Issue that precedes it march to slightly different drummers than their normative peers.

Have a look at the number of topics we pick up on below. We could not have continued to broaden the width of our coverage if it were not for the Internet which allows us to publish more pages and more introspective commentary than the limited print for-mat has allowed. Yes, we love the annual tasting of French Champagnes. Yes, it is fun to look back at the year and give special mention to the wines that have thrilled us, but look also at the fascinating piece detailing our dinner with that most famous winewriter, Hugh Johnson. This December Issue, which wraps up Cabernet Sauvignon for the year, has always been one of our favorites. In this year, it is even more so.

Back in the early 1970s, when the idea of a California wine journal was just a gleam in our eyes, we were in love with three local varieties—Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. There were mere handfuls of collectible-quality wines at the time, but their numbers were growing. And no variety was changing and becoming world class faster than Cabernet. Look at the names that emerged in the mid- late 1960 vintages—Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Ridge, Freemark Abbey, Spring Mountain, Van Loben Sels, Yverdon, Fetzer, Chappellet. Most are still around today, some doing better than others, but their emergence led to the early recognition first on this side of the world, and quickly across the country then into Europe, that California Cab-ernet had rather quickly “arrived”. Today, those dozens of wines have grown into hundreds and fill this Issue to overflowing.

It is an easy argument to make that California sparkling wine has now eclipsed its French peers when it comes to value at the lower-middle end of the market. It may be unfair to Roederer to say it, but its California offerings are so gorgeous that their French equivalents have a hard time keeping up—and those French bottlings are considerably pricier. That said, when grand Champagne is in the glass and fills the nose and palate with its complex, rich, crisp, nuanced loveliness, there is not much in the wine world that makes us happier. Vive la différence.

In which we name the names that top our lists of Bests for 2012. We have surprised even ourselves with our top choices this year—not because they are not brilliant wines, but because they are not made up of the usual suspects yet are so exceptional that they will stay long in our tasting memories.

Wonderful conversation with the world’s most important winewriter—and comments on a collection of forty to sixty year-old Cabernet Sauvignons that graced the table.

Sometimes, only great wine will do, but, most of the time, it is very good wine at great prices that we all seek. BEST BUYS brings you choices that are treats both for your palate and for your wallet.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Champagne

Year in Review

Best Buys

Dinner with Hugh Johnson

DECEMBER 2012. © 2012 by CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE, LLC. All Rights Reserved. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Connoisseurs’ Guide [ISSN 0161-6668], Post Office Box V, Alameda, California 94501 CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE is published monthly at 651 Tarryton Isle, Alameda, California 9450l and is available only by subscription.

CONTACT: Email: cgcw@aol.com. Website: www.cgcw.com. Phone: 510-865-3150. FAX: 510-865-4843. Publisher/Editor: CHARLES E. OLKEN. Associate Editor: STEPHEN ELIOT. Subscriber Relations: THERRY L. OLKEN. Wine Management: JERI MORGADO.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Subscribers receive our magazine on the first of every month, with hundreds of wine reviews and other important consumer oriented information. Every wine reviewed is presented as part of our comprehensive reports on available wines and are also included within our extensive, sortable database of past reviews now numbering close to 30,000 separate entries. Each monthly issue is sent by email and is also downloadable directly printed in magazine format both from the email as well as from our website. Subscriptions are $90 for one year and $160 for two years.

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AVAILABILITY

3 Generally available in most market areas.

1 Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution.

O Very limited availability.

GV Good Value

S Soft and fruity wine. Quaffable by itself or with light foods.

F Crisp white. Medium acid and dry. Fish or delicate flavored foods.

C Mellow white. Dry to slightly sweet. Enough acid for white meats.

l Full and balanced dry White. Try with rich seafood and fowl dishes.

L Light Red and powerhouse White. Fowl, veal and light meats.

B Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. Beef and lamb.

T Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced meat dishes.

d Sweet Dessert wine. Enjoyable by itself or with sweet desserts.

DRINKABILITY

D Drinkable now. Unlikely to improve with further aging.

I Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.

A Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging.

U Not suitable for drinking.

OUTSTANDING WINES CHARACTERISTICS & TRADITIONAL USE WITH FOOD

Tasting Note Legend

NOTE: Wines not marked with stars are often delightful wines. Each has unique virtues and any of these wines may be the best wine to serve your needs based on value, availability or for your dining and taste preferences. *Prices – Approximately California full retail prices.

Connoisseurs’ Guide tastings are conducted with Stemware.

*** THREE STARS: (95-98 points) An exceptional wine. Worth a special search of the market.

** TWO STARS: (91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable.

* ONE STAR: (87-90 points) Fine example of a type or style of wine. Without notable flaws.

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The argument that California wine is too expensive starts in the Napa Valley, and specifically, in the alluvial washes that line the hillsides. We know that the West Rutherford Bench is perhaps the cause of it all, but if we look closely, we find similar patches of rich and well-drained soils all up and down the Valley. Even St. Helena, which is a little harder to define than the other communally-named AVAs in the Valley, is proud to tell all who will listen that it has six such alluvial outcroppings within its borders. We are tempted at this point to get up on our soapboxes and make the argument for very specific terroir-driven character among the great wines that populate this Issue.

No need for that, however. You already have heard that solidly-proven bit of rhetoric before, and when you behold wines like Ridge Monte Bello, Staglin, Diamond Creek, you will be reminded, just by the presence of those honored names at top of the rating table, that place is indeed as important in California Cabernet production as it is in any other blending of geography and grape. The logic would seem irrefutable, and the augments that there is no such thing as terroir in California wines so simply and easily disproven that it sometimes astounding to hear them coming back time and time again from otherwise well-informed influencers in the wine commentary business.

The argument that California is too expensive starts with the quality of wine being produced here. And while we can equate some of that quality to good growing technique and to skillful winemaking once the grapes are harvested, it is the quality of fruit that makes all this success possible. And the great unspoken secret is that it is the combination of soil and climate that creates the potential for greatness in the first place. So, yes, California wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon can be expensive. High quality merchandise does tend in that direction, and great wine is no exception.

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* jl ARNS Napa Valley 2007Nicely defined, blackcurrant fruit is joined in the nose by a touch of forest-floor spice and atypical suggestions of bacon, and that fruit carries forward into this wine’s complex, moderately deep flavors. Already showing impressions of layering as well as a fine sense of real varietal range, this concise, nicely made youngster is fit with a good backbone of integral, well-measured tannins, and it will start to come into its own some five or six years down the line. 1 B A $85.00* it ARNS Napa Valley 2008If again a fairly well-focused wine that gets it right in terms of precise varietal fruit, this bottling is distinguished from its year-older mate by dint of its slightly tighter, somewhat more sinewy style. It narrows a bit at the finish and takes on a slightly acidy edge, and, while it pulls up a little short at the finish just now, it has more than enough fruity center and depth to reward four or five years age. 1 B A $85.00

* it ARTESA Artisan Series Napa Valley 2009Striking out on its own path with distinctive aromas of cherries, raspberries, wet clay and a touch of sweet cinnamon, Artesa’s Artisan Series Cabernet is a softly tannic, well-scrubbed effort that affords plenty to like even now. It makes good use of oak but stays fixed on fruit even as a sudden upwelling of stiffening acidity reminds that it is still very young and could do with a few more years in the cellar. 3 B A $46.00iq BARRA Mendocino 2009Very nicely structured with a fullness of body that is belied by its 13.8% alcohol, this wine falls a bit short overall in the depth of its personality. Light in intensity, and despite its good overall focus on black cherries with a hint of crème caramel, it is round in first impression but runs out of steam at its heart, and while nice, it is not nice enough to recommend. 1 B D $ 20.00* iu B CELLARS Blend 24 Napa Valley 200956% Cabernet Sauvignon; 22% Sangiovese; 22% Syrah. It may have a very non-traditional blend of grapes, but, with each playing an important role, the wine has turned out to be quite interesting and not so non-traditional after all. Its aromas focus easily on ripe black cherry with concentration set against a nervy background of tart cherries, and things are not so very different on the palate where ripeness and a full-bodied, mouthfilling start is balanced by bracing acidity in the taut and tannic finish. Four to six years of aging is needed. 1 B A $ 49.00ir B CELLARS Blend 25 Napa Valley 200967% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Syrah. Never finding the vitality of its sibling above and thus a touch ripe/heavy in the process, this one shares its mate’s tendency to early suppleness just as it also finds plenty of tannin in its latter half. It too will benefit from time in the cellar. 1 B A $65.00iq BEAUCANON Longwood Napa Valley 2009Starting out with aromas of currant, root beer and oaky richness with nuances of fennel, but a bit short in the depth and bottom that would mark it as one to remember, this wine turns too soon to a drier stance on the palate and carries its early attractions only part way towards the back. Its hot and toothpicky finish consigns it to the middle of the pack. 3 B I $32.00

** jo ACKERMAN Napa Valley 2007Deep, wonderfully well-focused and rife with classic Cabernet fruit, this concentrated and decidedly complex working sports a fascinating mix of currants, sweet oak, new leather and cola in both its explicit aromas and long, very serious flavors. While the wine is moderately tannic, it is no more so than a good young Cabernet should be, and it is as good a bet to grow better in time as any good bet can be. 1 B A $75.00** jm ACKERMAN Napa Valley 2008Differing from its immediate precursor principally by way of its more obvious ripeness and augmented tannins, this very gutsy young wine is not quite so well-proportioned but makes up in richness for what it may lack in finesse. Its extracted flavors are blunted by mouth-drying astringency, and it is faintly hot and a bit hard at the finish, but, even then, it never wholly lets go of fruit and will pay fine returns to those willing to wait for some eight to ten years. 3 B A $75.00

** jm AMICI Spring Mountain District Napa Valley 2009Even with a touch of funk/vitamin pill in its first aromas, this wine is deep in cassis and tobacco-tinged fruit and hints at dusty soils from first to last. Its evident ripeness is never an issue or concern because the finely focused fruit stays the course and brings good balance and youthful energy to the insistent flavors. Supple in its texture in a way that belies its solid, tannin-firmed underbelly, it is a wine that is going to last for years to come even if capable of pleasing in the here now. O B I $95.00* iu AMICI Morisoli Vineyard Rutherford Napa Valley 2009Wines from this vineyard can have a deep, woundup quality when young, and this one has it in spades. Its ripe, black fruit aromas show no lack of concentration but come with wisps of tar and vitamin-pill and suggest a certain burliness on the palate that is unmistakable. That there is fruit at its heart is also part of what Morisoli delivers, and, for those with a bit of patience, the wine seems poised to round into better. O B A $125.00* it AMICI Napa Valley 20096% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot. It may be the long-production item among the Amici trio, but this bottling will win fans for its rich, direct black cherry fruit and its oaky sweetness. Supple in its first palatal impressions, then showing the familial trait of late-arriving coarseness, this wine can certainly gain with age, but it comes with less complexity and both its price and its disposition suggest that earlier drinking will work out well. 1 B I $40.00ir ANCIENT PEAKS Paso Robles 2010There is a good deal to like in this wine’s nicely ripened aromas of dark cherries and caramelly oak, and the flavors that follow convey a good sense of essential richness and fruit, yet rising acidity imparts a bit of angularity on the latter palate and works to cut things off at the end. A few years of age will go a long way to smoothing things out, but we are not quite convinced that a complete wine awaits. 3 B A $17.00

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* jl BEAULIEU Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley 2008Dark, dense and loamy in scent with a certain brooding aspect in the nose, BV’s latest Tapestry Reserve proves to be a rounder and rather more refined wine on the palate than promised, and it does a nice job of balancing buoyant, well-defined fruit with no small measure of sweet oak. Last-minute tannins come on at the end and impart a modest touch of dryness, but five or six years of time in the cellar is certain to provide the right touch of finishing polish. 1 B A $60.00 ir BEAULIEU Napa Valley 2010Here is a straightforward and well-stated Cabernet that comes without fancy oak or overdone ripeness, and, while it may not match up to its richest cousins from Napa, it is nicely balanced, clean as the proverbial whistle and stays fixed on curranty fruit front to back. It can certainly age for a few years, but it shows a nice sense of roundness and is wholly enjoyable now.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $20.00* jl BELL Napa Valley 200917% Merlot; 4% Malbec; 1% Petit Verdot. Curranty, distinctly varietal fruit is the overarching theme of this very solid and well-balanced bottling, and, while fit with plenty of sinewy tannins, the wine is never more astringent than its concentrated fruit can withstand. Similarly, its generous appointment of sweet oak in no way interferes with its fruity imperatives, and, if hardly a wine meant for quaffing down soon, it is one that will provide plenty of pleasure with age. 1 B A $65.00ir BELL Clone 6 Rutherford Napa Valley 2008This wine is drawn along leaner, less fruity lines, and it will no doubt find favor with critics of ripeness, but, if not overdone, neither is it especially well-filled. Its modest fruit is subservient to narrowing acidity all the way through to a tart and tannic finish, and, though it is likely to last for a very long time, beauty may lie out of its reach. 1 B A $120.00ir BELL Claret Napa Valley 200911% Merlot; 6% Syrah; 2% Cabernet Franc; 1% Malbec. Clean and fairly straightforward black cherry fruit is graced by a light touch of creamy oak in the attractive, if not particularly intense, aromas of this one, yet, once in the mouth, the wine comes up a bit shy on real substance and depth. Its finish is attenuated by gritty tannins just now, and its essential fruit is both smaller and less explicit than billed. 1 B A $45.00* it BELLA VETTA Ami’s Vineyard 2008Howell Mountain. Napa Valley. A far more accessible and supple wine than its mountain source might predict, this well-fruited effort smacks of cassis, cherries and sweet oak with a scant trim of toasted herbs coming on as its sits. It is medium-full-bodied and firmed by complementary tannins that never push it into drying astringency, but it still wants a bit more time in which to unfold and should develop without risk for another five or six years at a minimum. 1 B A $35.00ip BLISS Mendocino 2010If loosely suggestive of Cabernet in its hesitant themes of cassis and dried herbs, this stunted, acid-framed wine is very much a

minimalist in terms of ripeness, fruity richness and depth, and its youthful energy does not make up for its essential thinness and lack of flavor. 3 B D $11.00* iu BLUE ROCK Best Barrels Alexander Valley 2009Its “Best Barrels” moniker seems more than appropriate since this rich and well-ripened wine is unsparing in sweet oak, and its ample black cherry fruit shares the stage with vanilla, crème-brûlée and a touch of milk chocolate. The wine’s richer aspects more than offset a touch of heat at the finish, and we would like to see this one sit for another three to five years before being poured. 1 B A $95.00ip BONTERRA 87% Mendocino County 201013% Lake County. A bit of unspecific, vaguely cherry-like fruit struggles to keep pace with elements of dried brush and tree bark in both the aromas and flavors here, and the wine proves to be a little more grippy and gritty than we expect inexpensive Cabernet to be. It may be priced for early drinking, but it is not an especially friendly wine. 3 B I $16.00

** jn CADARETTA Springboard Columbia Valley 200878% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petit Verdot; 8% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc. Dense and impressively concentrated Cabernet fruit is convincingly in charge here, and, while the wine lacks for nothing in the way of richness, ripeness and size, it is far from being monolithic and conveys a fine sense of layered complexity even in its relative youth. It is supple and structured with a sense of proportion that predicts real polish in time, but it demands at least five years of age before drinking and promises to be even better with ten. 1 B A $50.00io CASTLE ROCK Paso Robles 2010It seems to us that an $11.00 Cabernet should be on the tender side and easy to gulp, but this loosely herbal, faintly tobaccoey version is rather coarse and stiff-spined with tannin and acidity setting its decidedly unfruity course. 3 B I $11.00* iu CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Meritage 2009Columbia Valley. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Merlot; 5% Malbec; 2% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot. It may be quite ripe, and it wants for nothing in the way of substance or heft, yet this wine does not quite go over the line, and it wins its star for obvious richness. Its soft underbelly and comparatively tame tannins make it easy to taste even now, but save it for service with flavorful stews and roasts, for it is likely to overwhelm most anything lighter. 1 B A $55.00* is CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek Vineyard 2009Although showing some of the trappings of ripeness and just hinting at a bit of chocolate, this friendly and fairly accessible wine chiefly takes its direction from the constant black cherry fruit that sits at its heart. Its sense of juicy sweetness arguably nudges it off the classic varietal track, but it is a tasty morsel that offers plenty to like in the near term. 3 B I $28.00iq CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Druthers 2009Columbia Valley. There is no dearth of size or seeming intent here, but this wine strikes us as being overly ambitious insofar as clearly defined fruit is buried beneath sweet oak and chocolate, and runaway ripeness becomes its dominant and most-lasting theme. It is palpably hot at the finish and a bit thick and clumsy from beginning to end. O T I $80.00

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iq CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek Red 2009Columbia Valley. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Syrah; 12% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc. Whether by dint of the vintage or a shift in winemaking direction, here is yet another very weighty, full-bodied red from Chateau Ste. Michelle that gives itself up to ripeness. It struggles without softness, and it both dries and heats up at the finish, and, while undeniably rich, it never quite comes into focus. 1 B I $32.00ip CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Columbia Valley 20106% Syrah; 3% Merlot; 6% other. If rounded and fairly supple in feel, this dull and distinctly herbal working is decidedly stingy as far as any positive Cabernet fruit goes. It hints here and there at a bit of dried-grape desiccation and shows scant suggestions of sweet oak, but it is essentially enervated stuff that has nowhere especially good to go. 3 B I $16.00ir CLIF FAMILY Kit’s Killer Cab Napa Valley 2009Bright, mildly raspberry-like fruit is overlain by a touch of briary spice and hints of wet clay in the nose here, and the flavors that follow are both spicy and narrow with the same tilt to berries. A firm streak of tannins further tightens the wine’s finish and mid-term cellaring is advised. 1 B A $40.00* is CLOS LA CHANCE Reserve Central Coast 2009Hints of tobacco leaf take this moderately fruit Cabernet off on a somewhat different path, and while it may not earn style points for classicism, it does come across as reasonably deep and alive. Medium-full to full in body and firmed up by a generous dose of background acidity, the wine favors sweet berries with a dollop of black cherry for its central themes and quietly holds onto its leafy, tobacco notes in the finish. O B I $40.00

** jp CORISON Kronos Vineyard Napa Valley 2008Although Cathy Corison has become something of an icon for those who would mindlessly damn ripeness, her wines, as this lovely version from her estate vineyard so capably demonstrates, should in no way be seen as wanting in substance or character. Wonderfully complex and very deep in pure Cabernet fruit with lovely adjuncts of sweet oak, cocoa and subtle wisps of forest-floor spice, the new Kronos bottling is an impeccably balanced offering that proves that composure and richness are in no way mutually exclusive. It is so refined and its pieces so carefully knit that it runs the risk of being drunk up before it has had the half-dozen-plus years of aging that it will need before coming into its very best. 1 B A $119.00

** jn CORLEY State Lane Vineyard 2009Yountville Napa Valley. Starting out with a lovely mix of ripe currants, sweet oak, vanilla and soft briar in the nose and fully in step in its very deep and refined flavors, this impressive effort strikes us as being the most polished of the very fine Corley lot, yet it sacrifices nothing in the way of richness. It is exceptionally long on the palate and stays in excellent balance from front to finish, and, while underpinned by the firming tannins needed to keep it going for a good many years, it is wonderfully expressive

even now and will require a little self discipline lest it be drunk up far too soon. O B A $72.00* jl CORLEY Monticello Tietjen Vineyard 2009Napa Valley. High in ripeness, yet equally high in black cherry fruit and framed with very evident elements of dark chocolate, this very generous, wide-open wine eschews nuance for out-and-out richness. It is full-bodied and fleshy with well-measured tannins, and, while its riper aspects do set its course from start to finish, it gets a welcome boost in brightness from pert acidity at the end. O B A $72.00* iu CORLEY Reserve Napa Valley 2009Ripe, but not overly so, and strongly colored by briary spice with a splash of sweet cola to its black cherry fruit, this wide-bodied wine is balanced ever so slightly to softness, but it finds proper grip in the latter going as its nominal tannins come into play. It is not so precise and polished as its partner from Yountville, nor is it as brawny as its sibling from the Tietjen property. We expect that it will peak a bit sooner than either, and we see good things ahead with a comparatively short stay in the cellar of some three or four years. 1 B A $80.00* is CORLEY Yewell Vineyard Napa Valley 2009Again a little ripe-leaning and this time showing suggestions of blackberries along with the more conventional blackcurrants of Cabernet, this full-bodied effort scores good marks for richness, but it presently fights at the finish with pushy tannins and a bit of tea-like astringency. It does not wholly let go of its fruit, and, while definitely tilting to puckery toughness, it seems certain to relax some with age. O B A $72.00ir COUNTER PUNCH Rutherford Napa Valley 2009Its combination of herb-tinged, tart-edged fruit and oaky richness with a caramelly suggestion brings a “sweet and spicy” note to the proceedings and takes the wine just wide of the typical track, and its somewhat stiff, acid-oriented flavors keep it there. Fully convincing fruit is the missing ingredient, and while the wine is competently made in all other respects, it will always want for a touch more stuffing at its heart. O B I $75.00

** jo DANCING HARES Red Wine Napa Valley 200959% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; 14% Cabernet Franc; 7% Petit Verdot. Deep, layered, complex and very ripe yet also filled with both fruit and energy, this bold, commanding wine is not for the faint of heart or those who find too much personality in Napa Valley Cabernets. The rest of us, however, are going to luxuriate in its rich and sophisticated expressions of currants, tea leaf, crème caramel and sweet herbs. And we will not be put off by the wine’s seeming sea of tannins because they guarantee that time in the cellar will be rewarded. O B A $150.00* jl DARIOUSH Napa Valley 2009This full-throttle effort keys on ripeness and oak, and it has no sense of what brakes might be for, but it does manage to find its varietal way in spite of its sweetness and heat. Redolent of blackberries as much as of currants and decked out with vanilla and cream to spare, it could use greater grace and elegance, but its richness more than makes up for its sins. Mid-term keeping seems the best course here, and it will surely tickle fans of the style when teamed up with well-seasoned oxtails and braised shanks of lamb. 1 B A $ 95.00

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* jl DARMS LANE Bon Passe Vineyard Napa Valley 2009Convincing, very confident Cabernet fruit takes the lead early on and never lets go here, and, despite a big rush of puckery, palate-drying finishing tannins, the wine remains focused on black cherries and currants with a full measure of sweet oak in the mix. That is not to say that this one is anywhere near ready for drink-ing, but its imposing astringency will ease over time, and it should start to emerge from its decidedly tannic cocoon near decade’s end. 1 B A $60.00* jl DAVIES Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley 200913% Malbec. On the one hand very tannic and on the other a wine of considerable ripeness and very good Cabernet focus, this fleshy, fully extracted effort is one that demands a lengthy wait. It has the fruity depth and substance to comfortably age for a decade or more, and its wash of last-minute astringency suggests that it may well take that long before wholly rounding into shape. 3 B A $85.00ir DECOY Napa Valley 2010By Duckhorn. Although leaning to reedy, dried-brush qualities in the nose, this direct, easy-drinking Cabernet comes varietally clear in the mouth with a moderate measure of affable, dark-cherry fruit. The wine is supple, pleasantly balanced and employs tannin in moderation, and it is one that will be at its best when enjoyed relatively young. 3 B I $25.00

** jo DIAMOND CREEK Red Rock Terrace 2009Napa Valley. Diamond Creek’s offerings are generally among the more sturdy and structured Cabernets of the vintage, yet as this well-crafted effort so capably shows, structure in no way contradicts polish. A lean and yet fairly muscular bottling with a tightly wound core of essential blackcurrant fruit framed deftly with oak, the wine hints at elements of dark soils and briar and is underpinned by plenty of fine tannins. It wants to be cellared for no fewer than a half-dozen years and will not show its best until a decade has passed. 1 B A $175.00** jm DIAMOND CREEK Volcanic Hill 2009Napa Valley. Far and away the toughest of the new Diamond Creek lot, this year’s Volcanic Hill bottling is a deep and sinewy young wine with lots of mass and impressively extracted fruit. It is also gruff and astringent, yet its insistent impressions of cassis and black cherries power their ways past its very ample young tannins and linger on and on at the finish. It will not even begin to approach drinkability for another eight to ten years, and it is certain to live for a very long time. 1 B A $175.00* jl DIAMOND CREEK Gravelly Meadow 2009Napa Valley. Yet another very solid effort from Diamond Creek and one that shows the same bias to structure and firm tannins as shown by its mates, this year’s Gravelly Meadow bottling is a sinewy, yet well-fruited young Cabernet that has a long way to go. It tends to a bit of back-palate dryness, and its finishing fruit ever so slightly loses its grasp, but seven to ten years of patience should set everything right. 1 B A $175.00

* it DRY CREEK VINEYARD Endeavor 2008Dry Creek Valley. This rich but slightly confusing wine proves to be of mixed messages for, while it is not excessively hot or fat in feel, its nonetheless smells and tastes of very high ripeness. It smacks of dark berries and chocolate with intimations of jam, and sweet oak abounds at most every turn. While it makes up in richness for what it lacks in keen fruity focus, it is a wine that will appeal most to fans of the style. O B I $65.00* it DRY CREEK VINEYARD Meritage 2008Sonoma County. 33% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; 14% Malbec; and 6% Petit Verdot. Creamy oak makes a marked contribution to this rich and nicely filled wine, and, as its cepage would seem to suggest, its fruit is geared to ripe cherries as much as to varietal dark currants. It is likewise sparing in hard tannin, and it sports a fine supple feel on the palate, but even if wholly enjoyable now, it has the balance to age well for five or more years. 1 B I $28.00

** jn DUCKHORN Monitor Ledge Vineyard 2008Napa Valley. The Monitor Ledge Vineyard bottling is both the deepest and best balanced of the Duckhorn’s fine lot of 2008 Cabernets, and it combines lots of rich, well-defined curranty fruit with neatly placed oak that brings a complementary touch of sweetness. For all of its considerable substance, it is neither heavy nor unduly tough, and it is marked by a bit of brightening freshness. It is certain to tempt drinking after only a few years in the bottle, but it has all the right pieces in place to age famous-ly for a decade or more. 1 B A $ 95.00

** jm DUCKHORN Patzimaro Vineyard 2008Napa Valley. A little more outgoing than its cellarmates and ever so slightly softer at the margins, the Patzimaro Cabernet is a very flavorful, generously fruited wine with plentiful elements of sweet cherries and cassis played against caramel, cream and touches of dark earth. It runs into nominal varietal tannins and will certainly welcome a few years of age, but it is never as raw-edged or as tough as young Cabernet can be, and it will afford enjoyable drinking in five years or so. 1 B A $ 95.00

* jl DUCKHORN Rector Creek Vineyard Napa Valley 2008There is little sense of restraint to this fairly full-throttle wine as far as ripe fruit and sweet oak are concerned, yet for all of its unbridled richness and intimations of chocolate, its bearings are fixed on Cabernet. It is weighty and fairly mouthfilling, and its finish shows hints of heat and no small measure of tannin. It is unlikely to be an elegant wine regardless of how long it is held, but it will benefit greatly from another four to six years and will make a fine foil to a classic rib roast. 1 B A $95.00

* iu DUCKHORN The Discussion Napa Valley 200873% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. If hinting a bit at Merlot’s cherries, a touch of cassis and some of Cabernet’s woodsy spice, this rather gutsy, solidly extratced young wine never quite manages to come into clear focus. It has plenty of palatal heft, but it is still roughed up by enough tannin to warn off drinking soon, and while we are cautiously optimistic about its prospects with age, it needs to be left alone for another five years. 1 B A $ 125.00

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* iu DUCKHORN Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2007Duckhorn’s 2007 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a compact, still-tightly wound wine that juxtaposes a good bit of ripeness with plenty of tannin and very noticeable acidity. It is on the sinewy side, but it is governed first and last by a decent sense of well-defined varietal fruit, and it is laced with insistent spice. It is just starting to open at five years of age, and it could easily take that many more before reaching full stride. 1 B A $75.00* it DUCKHORN Napa Valley 2009Duckhorn’s basic Napa Valley Cabernet is solid and well-ripened wine that pairs defined black cherry fruit with a modest dose of vanillin oak and shows lower-keyed accents of plums and spice. It is fleshy in feel and moderately full-bodied, and it is just tough enough at the end to want four or five years of patience before its tannins abate. 3 B A $68.00iq EBERLE Vineyard Selection Paso Robles 2010A dash of creamy oak adds some useful richness to this wine’s herb and black cherry aromas, and if direct and a touch simple, they are reasonably engaging nonetheless. The flavors feature the sweeter herb notes that are often seen in wines from the region, and there is a narrowness to the latter palate that seems to be a contribution from late-arriving acidity. Not quite fully priceworthy at this point, it might be if discounted. 3 L I $20.00

iq EBERLE Estate Bottled Paso Robles 2009Earning the same rating as its mate above but both better and not depending on your point of view, this wine is clearly elevated in stalky, herbal elements while also being fuller and brighter in its palatal impacts. It shares its mate’s tendency to late acidity but is more integrated and holds its richness in a little more benefi-cially manner. Overall, it is a draw. 1 B I $34.00ir EDGE North Coast 20109% Syrah; 5% Merlot. Suggestions of loamy earth, smoke and dried reeds sit lightly atop mid-density black cherry fruit in the ripe and moderately rich aromas here, yet the wine, while fruity, is a little less varietally convincing once in the mouth. It is slight-ly supple in feel with enough fruity mass to buffer its firm, back-palate acids, and, if never a head-turner, it is an honest Cabernet that will develop for a few years. 3 B I $20.00* is EDUCATED GUESS Napa Valley 20108% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot. This brilliantly conceived negotiant bottling proves that, even in difficult times, there are opportunities to produce priceworthy wines when one takes the time and effort to do it. It is fairly full in body and finds balancing grip from evident tannins that play off against both its obvious cherry-like ripeness and its supple and rounded tactile impressions, but while easy to approach even now, it promises to hold for a few years yet for those who would lay some away.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $20.00* it FEATHER Columbia Valley 2009Long Shadows Collection. Scents of dusty soils, dried plums, briar and cassis give this wine a complex if somewhat dry and different cast. It is medium-full in body with a supple start before turning tough and slightly coarse as it goes. Its underlying fruit hangs on gamely and lifts the wine into the realm of recommendation. It needs five or more years of cellaring. 1 B A $55.00ip FRANCISCAN Napa Valley 2009Half-hearted fruit struggles to be more than a marginal player in either the reedy aromas or the small, rather underfilled flavors of this clean, slightly chalky, acid-driven wine. While it is clean, it is a minimalist in most every regard, and it seems likely to stay so with age. 3 B I $ 28.00

** jo FRANK FAMILIY Reserve 2009Rutherford Napa Valley. Very rich, fully ripe and absolutely brimming with extracted curranty fruit and sweet oak, this deep and very outgoing youngster is at once accessible yet solid with a real sense of reserve behind its more obvious gifts. It full and supple in feel and is so showy that it invites early drinking, but it is balanced and built for a comfortable future. It deserves to be held for another five or so years, and it will continue to grow for decade or more. 1 B A $85.00** jm FRANK FAMILY Winston Hill 2009Rutherford Napa Valley. Deep in well-defined Cabernet fruit and fit with a full dose of very rich oak, this generous and juicy young wine smacks of blackcurrants, vanilla, tobacco and milk chocolate and, while very expressive, it is never too much. It is fairly full-bodied, and it sports plenty of varietally appropriate tannin, but its finishing toughness is easy to forgive in light of its obvious richness. Find a dark corner in the cellar and set it aside for at least a half-dozen years. 1 B A $150.00* iu FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 200913% Merlot; 7% Petit Verdot; 3% Malbec; 2% Cabernet Franc. Freemark Abbey’s nicely crafted 2009 Cabernet combines deep, well-defined, varietal fruit with a sensible measure of supporting oak and finds a very comfortable middle ground between high ripeness and green-edged austerity. It is firm but not stiff, and it is full without being fat. It ends on a slightly tannic note, but all of the parts are in place for it to grow into grace over the next five to eight years. 3 B A $44.00iq FUSE Napa Valley 201015% Syrah; 3% Merlot. There is a decided tilt to ripeness about this wine even if it claims only 13.8% alcohol, and it smacks just a bit of dark chocolate at the edges. It is moderately full and a touch viscous in feel with fairly open, but not too deep, flavors of black cherries, and its ongoing sense of softness directs it to earlier drinking rather than later. 1 B I $28.00

ip GIRASOLE Mendocino 2009From the same hand that gave us the Barra wine above, this less pricey bottling is more of the same in its shortfall of personality, yet it is also thinner in structure and cuts out too quickly at the end to earn a second glance. It is clean and serviceable but not enough so to recommend. 1 L D $ 18.00* is GRGICH HILLS Estate Grown Napa Valley 20095% Petit Verdot; 1% Cabernet Franc. True to the Grgich model in most ways but also a bit riper than many past efforts, this one skirts the edges of “green” in its black cherry aromas but avoids that trap in its flavors. Instead, it is ripe at entry with a somewhat soft first impression and drifts to an acid-framed finish. Along the way, it does taste like Cabernet Sauvignon and suggests that time in bottle may be curative. 3 B I $60.00

* is GRGICH HILLS Yountville Selection Napa Valley 2008Very much a wine of mixed messages and one that goes in a few too many directions at once, Grgich Hill’s top-end bottling is ripe and rigid at one and the same time. It is tight and rather ungiving just now, and its angularity dissuades hasty drinking, but it seems to have reasonable fruit deep at its very core, and it may yet make the grade. 1 B A $150.00

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* it HUGE BEAR Sonoma County 2009“Huge” is the right word to describe this very ripe and highly extracted effort, and there is no question that the wine teeters right at the edge of being a little too much, but it just manages to keep defined Cabernet fruit in sight and never fully gives up to ripeness. Its themes of currants, briar and loam outdistance those of dark chocolate, and, if nominally tannic and a touch hot at the finish, it still earns the nod for sustained richness and will improve for three or four years. 1 B A $55.00* iu HYPOTHESIS Napa Valley 20109% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot. By Educated Guess. With this entry coming in at its highest price point yet, negotiant Mark Albright is looking to expand his already very successful line, and this wine seems to have accomplished that feat in fine style. To be sure, this is a very ripe wine whose intensity and focus keep it from stepping over the line into excess. Supple and slightly viscous in feel and gifted with a full array of varietal characteristics, it can be enjoyed now or in a few years. 1 B I $40.00* is J. LOHR Hilltop Paso Robles 200914% Petite Sirah; 6% other. If clearly a bit skewed to ripeness and showing elements of dark chocolate running its length, this full and fairly accessible wine is not without a fair measure of ripe, black cherry fruit, and it has just enough tannin to find a bit of structural grip. It does not come with the need for lengthy keeping, but it should improve over the next three or four years all the same. 3 B I $ 35.00ir J. LOHR Seven Oaks Paso Robles 2010Fairly juicy and very accessible in nature with plenty of sweet, cherry-like fruit paving its way, J. Lohr’s Seven Oaks Cabernet is a very likeable if far from long-aging wine that is more rounded than it is sturdy and tannic. It is easy to drink now but will not fade away any time soon, and it will make a most priceworthy partner to chops and simple steaks hot off the grill.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $ 17.00iq J. LOHR Hilltop Paso Robles 2008Ripeness is in advance of defined Cabernet fruit here even if the wine’s woodsy, slightly rooty traits put this one on the varietal track, and stiffening, almost citrusy, acids come on a bit strong at the end. The wine wants for continuity and more back-end richness, and we do not see the center to suggest that either will come with age. 3 B I $35.00iq JOEL GOTT 815 California 2010Simple, red-cherry fruit is met by but an echo of oak here, and

the wine quickly takes on a vaguely candied quality that persists in its sweet/tart flavors. While it has noticeable varietal tannins, it is a bit light on Cabernet weight, and it is not one to cellar away for very long. 3 B I $ 18.00* it JOSEPH PHELPS Napa Valley 2009Suggestions of black olives and very obvious oak combine with a good sense of currant fruity in the varietally specific nose here, and, if never big or dramatic, the wine follows suit on the palate with attractive and fairly lively young flavors that very much say Cabernet. It has a bit of astringency to lose, but it does not dry out in the least under the weight of its tannins, and, while it will be approachable in only a few years, it should continue to grow for a good many more. 3 B A $58.00

** jm KADIEM Napa Valley 2009Here is a big and very rich Cabernet that makes no apologies for ripeness and generous oak, but its success comes by way of the deep and well-extracted fruit that lies at its heart. It is not an elegant wine now and seems likely to remain a bit rough and rustic even with the five or six years of age that it deserves, but it is hard to find fault with its undeniable richness, and it should match up particularly well with hearty, liberally seasoned stews and roasts. O B A $85.00

** jo KENWOOD Artist Series Sonoma County 2008There was a time when Kenwood’s Artist Series bottlings were among Sonoma’s very best Cabernets, and the 2008 version is a return to form that stands as the winery’s finest in years. It leads with precise, carefully composed aromas of cherries, cassis, root beer and sweet spice, and it makes good on its aromatic promise with long, well-defined flavors that are extracted without being the least bit heavy. Things do tighten up in the latter going, and tannin is pushed a bit hard by acidity, but very good things lie ahead for the this eminently age-worthy wine, and it deserves a good half dozen years of forbearance. 1 B A $60.00* it KNIGHTS BRIDGE Knights Valley 2009Here is a Cabernet for those whose tastes run to ripeness, and it will win no applause for refinement, but, while arguably a bit overdone, it gets good marks for its unbridled richness. It is very full in body and it comes with an obvious tag-end of heat, and

*** jr JOSPEH PHELPS Insignia Napa Valley 200983% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13% Petit Verdot; 4% Malbec. It is quite clear by now that 2009 is proving to be a standout year for Cabernet, but within the crowd of outstanding wines, this one holds its head just a bit higher. It is, as Insignia always is, a wine of exceptional crafting and polish, and yet in this outing, it seems to have an extra measure of richness and fruity strength, not to mention plenty of grippy structural tannins. There is an almost brooding aspect about it that suggests that it is not yet even close to showing all that it has, and it looks very likely to be among the more age-worthy and longest lived Insignias of recent years. Bravo! 3 B A $200.00

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is a wine that wants drinking with heartier braised meats once its drying tannins have eased. 1 B A $ 115.00* iu LAUREL GLEN Sonoma Mountain 2009Here is a wine that is fruity, fairly complex and finely balanced, and it proves that Cabernet richness can be had without giving in to runaway ripeness. It is a bit tight in structure and yet is still nicely polished and its varied elements of currants, sweet soils, toast and a bare touch of smoke are constant players in its long and well-focused flavors. It does get fairly phenolic in the latter going, and it will need some time to rest, but it never becomes unduly coarse and will continue to grow for another half-dozen or more years. 1 B A $68.00

* is LAUREL GLEN Counterpoint Sonoma Mountain 2009 Heading off in a much different direction than its companion bottling above, Laurel Glen’s Counterpoint is a fairly rounded, ripe and obvious medium-full-bodied working whose emphasis is on straightforward fruit. It picks up just enough back-palate coarseness to argue for a couple of years in the bottle, but it does not cry out for long aging and will be enjoyable after only a minimal wait. 1 B I $30.00

* is LES BELLES COLLINES Napa Valley 200956% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Petit Verdot; 14% Cabernet Franc; 11% Merlot; 1% Malbec. Far less tannic and much more refined than its mate, this bottling offers a much better view of essential black cherry fruit and comes with attractive adjuncts of rooty spice and sweet oak. It veers slightly to puckery dryness yet holds together at the end, and, if not requiring ten years of age, it should look better in five. 1 B A $67.00

ir LES BELLES COLLINES Les Sommets Napa Valley 200912% Petit Verdot. There is no disputing that this Cabernet is a big, very dense and highly extracted wine, but, as rich as it is in curranty fruit and fine, creamy oak, it runs headlong into a wall of tongue-curing tannins so imposing that it may never come into balance. Optimists will want to set it aside for a minimum of ten years, but it is important to note that its keeping comes without guarantees. O B A $87.00* is LONG MEADOW RANCH Napa Valley 200910% Merlot; 2% Petite Sirah. A bit leaner in style and showing a distinct bent to fresh herbs, black tea and ripe cherries, this mid-sized offering earns recommendation by dint of proportion rather than extract and richness. It is a touch soft on entry but firms up nicely, and it never impresses as being an especially big wine. Still, it is structured for keeping, and we urge that you do so for five or six years. 3 B A $47.00* jl LONGORIA Evidence Santa Barbara County 201039% Cabernet Sauvignon; 36% Cabernet Franc; 20% Merlot; 5% Malbec. Richard Longoria’s very-limited-production blend of Bordelaise varietals is a rich and wonderfully well-composed wine that balances moderately deep, blackcurrant fruit with a deft touch of sweet oak and a bit of dusty soil spice. It is fairly full on the palate and, while rich and slightly fleshy in feel, it is never beholden to runaway ripeness. It is firmed by ample yet mannerly tannins, and it will take well to cellaring, but it is so nicely crafted that those lacking in patience should find plenty to like in only three or four years. O B A $40.00

ir LOUIS M. MARTINI Sonoma County 2010From its fairly outgoing aromas of cherries, black tea and tree bark to its comparatively open and easy-to-access flavors, this medium-bodied offering toes the varietal mark, and its solid, if far from opulent, fruit stays the course even as somewhat sere

tannins bring up the rear. It is just rough enough to dissuade early drinking, and it should reward another three to five years of patience. 3 B A $18.00io LUCINDA & MILLIE Mendocino County 2010Fairly sparing in fruit and given to dried-brush reediness all the way through, this underfilled bottling is loosely varietal at best, and, while it very much lacks the stuffing and substance to age into consequence, it shows a certain acidy toughness that makes it hard to enjoy in its youth. 3 B I $11.00iq MARILYN Meritage Napa Valley 201058% Cabernet Sauvignon; 27% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot. A bit dusty and hinting at dried reeds in the nose and decidedly stingy in positive fruit, the Marilyn Meritage tastes like it smells and takes a turn to dryness at the finish. It is not overly tough, but it is underfilled, and its fruity deficiencies preclude hopeful aging. 1 B I $50.00iq METTLER Lodi 20098% Petite Sirah; 4% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot. Its warm provenance has left a clear mark on this one, and ripeness very much trumps any clear expression of fruit. Full, softer in balance and palpably hot on the palate, it wants for brightness and life, and its distinctly jammy bias tags it as a wine suited to no more than short-term keeping. 3 B I $ 25.00ir MIA NIPOTE Livermore Valley 2009There is plenty to like about the rich and well-composed aromas of this immediately likeable wine, yet, once in the mouth, there is less evidence of the deep fruit it promised. Ripeness becomes its focus instead, and things get progressively hot and tannic, and, if sure to be helped by a few years of age, it will never be a wine of refinement. 1 B A $39.00* jl MINER Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley 20095% Cabernet Franc; 5% Merlot. If never in the least bit lacking for ripeness and substance, this sturdy, well-structured wine is anchored by solid blackcurrant fruit and shows no inclination to softness. It is a Cabernet that demands patient aging, and it has balance and fruity depth to grow past its very ample, presently puckery tannins that will work to ward off drinking for another six to eight years. 1 B A $75.00* is MINER Oakville Napa Valley 20099% Cabernet Franc. Even more tannic and backward than its companion from the Stagecoach Vineyard, this brawny young wine still has a strong sense of dark fruit at its core and shows an inkling of layering yet to come. It is, however, quite rugged now and far too coarse for drinking with anything on tonight’s menu, so please put it away in the cellar’s far reaches, and let it rest for eight to ten years. 1 B A $65.00

** jn MOONE-TSAI Cor Leonis Napa Valley 2009Moone-Tsai has followed up its very impressive 2008 Cor Leonis with yet another head-turning wine, and, though it may not be to the liking of those who chose Cabernet by alcohol content, it will captivate those seeking sheer fruity depth. It is not given to delicacy, and it is not one for restraint, but neither is it singularly driven by ripeness, and its shows great length and layer upon layer of interest. It admittedly comes at the cost of a scant bit of finishing heat, but we think it a small price to pay for this kind of richness. O B A $ 175.00

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* it NADIA Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard 2010By Laetitia. 6% Cabernet Franc; 2% Merlot. With nicely defined Cabernet fruit in its sights from start to finish, this medium-full-bodied youngster is solidly structured and has ample tannins for a good five-plus years of age, yet its juicier aspects are bound to tempt drinking now with the likes of a well-marbled rib eye. It is a good thing on its way to being better, and patience is certain to pay dividends. 1 B A $30.00* jo PAHLMEYER Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 200982% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc; 1% Malbec. Although very much showing the winery’s predictable predilection to ripeness, Pahlmeyer’s newly released red blend is an immense, wonderfully well-filled wine that is as long on juicy fruit as it is ripe and rich in oak, and its themes of black cherries, root beer and sweet loamy soils seem to grow more intense as it crosses the palate. Some will find it too rich and outgoing, but this one is all Californian in style and shows why Napa Valley is so envied by many. 1 T A $ 125.00ir PAUL DOLAN Mendocino County 2010Solid, dark cherry fruit is overlain by suggestions of dusty soil, vanilla and a wee hint of provençal herbs in both the medium-intense aromas and flavors of this nicely defined youngster, and but for the crimping effects of pushy back-palate tannins, the wine would be in line for a star. That said, it should improve as time passes, and we like it chances of finding a bit more polish in a couple of years. 3 B A $25.00ir PECH MERLE Alexander Valley 200917% Cabernet Franc; 5% Merlot; 1% Malbec. It may start out fairly well with moderately rich aromas of cassis played against a backdrop of mildly caramelly oak, but this one disappoints just a bit in the mouth and its flavors show a slight shortfall of fruity substance and drive. It pulls up a touch short at the end, but it steers clear of coarseness, and it should reach its best in but a few years. 1 B A $37.00ip PEDRONCELLI Three Vineyards Dry Creek Valley 201011% Cabernet Franc; 7% Merlot. Peculiar, wide-of-the-mark smells of half-candied berries and brown-sugar sweetness push this one out on a decidedly unconventional track, and, if clean and reasonably well-balanced, the wine only wanders further afield as it follows with ripe, slightly dilute, somewhat cheap-tasting flavors. 3 B I $17.00* it PEJU Napa Valley 200915% Petit Verdot; 5% Syrah; 3% Merlot. So attractive in its first nose that visions of higher rankings danced in our heads, this one takes a turn to rustic swagger as it airs, and its impressions on the palate follow suit in their progression from supple to quite pushy in its tannins. It gets points for depth and range, but it then gives some back in its closed off and far too challenging finish. It could take a decade to open up. 3 B A $45.00* iu PONT DE CHEVALIER Knights Valley 2009Very ripe, but very fruity as well with plenty of extract and a full dose of sweet oak, this rich and outgoing rendition steers well away from the brink of being too much and shows uncommon polish and crafting for such a full-sized wine. It is quite supple and inviting in texture before finding a fair bit of tannic grip, yet it is never particularly tough in demeanor and does a good job of hiding its minor heat. 1 B A $ 115.00

** jm PRIM FAMILY Howell Mountain Napa Valley 20094% Malbec; 4% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot. Balance and complex personality rather than hard-charging richness or ripeness are the bywords that direct this attractive, manifestly mannerly bottling. It is supple on the palate yet never soft, and its supporting firm side eschews hardness in its solid, accessible and promising final impressions. Along the way, minerally, graphitey notes add their own extended impressions. O B I

* jl PRIME Coombsville Napa Valley 2009Hailing from the comparatively cool Coombsville district just to the east of Napa, this very solid and explicitly varietal offering is long on precise, slightly juicy, young Cabernet currants and uses sweet oak to full advantage. It is optimally ripe and no more, and it sports a fine, well-measured complement of tannin that, com-bined with its deep and persistent fruit, assures it a long and very promising life. 1 B A $59.00

** jm PROMISE Rutherford Napa Valley 2008Keyed on keen and very pure Cabernet fruit with highlights of graphite, coal and sweet herbs coming into play as its initially tight aromas begin to unfold, this very solid, deeply filled wine delivers the goods once in the mouth with fine concentration and a real sense of polish that typically comes with only the very best of its ilk. It is supple and almost silky to start, but it shows plenty of grip at the finish, and its prospects for better with time are nothing short of terrific. 1 B A $225.00* it PROVENANCE Rutherford Napa Valley 2009Fairly dense and extracted but never lacking in fruit, this rooty, tobacco-tinged wine flirts with scattered suggestions of briar and dark earth. It is moderately full on the palate with a rush of gruff tannin closing in at the finish, but four or five years of age should afford at least some of the charm that it so clearly lacks in its youth. 3 B A $ 45.00ir PUNCH California 200920% Cabernet Franc. It does not taste excessively ripe, but this wine is full and viscous on the palate and soft in acidity, and with flavors that tilt to berries as much as to more classic cherries and currants, it is always going to be seen as a little wide of the mark. Still, it has identifiable fruit, is but modestly tannic and is easy to drink, and it will have followers. 1 T D $35.00* it RAMEY Annum Napa Valley 2009Here is a wine that is bound to drive lovers of low-alcohol wines to distraction, but, once past the fact that it is very ripe, it is very deep, very rich and surprisingly specific in its Cabernet fruit. It feigns softness at first then firms and shows good tannic grip, and its ongoing themes of slightly olivey, black cherry fruit hold up and carry though to the finish. It is not so unruly and rugged as to demand a decade of additional age, but we would hold out for no fewer than five years. 1 B A $95.00* it RAMEY Pedregal Vineyard Oakville Napa Valley 20098% Petit Vedot. Bound to test one’s appetite for high ripeness

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and a Cabernet that will never be accused of timidity, Ramey’s flamboyant Pedregal bottling teeters right on the edge of simply being too much. It is fleshy and full and palpably hot, but it is also deeply fruited with sweeping strokes of dark chocolate and woodsy spice. We have questions as to just how much polish it will ever find with age, but it is a wine that is and will be long on character. 1 B A $175.00ir RAMEY Napa Valley 2009 A bit off the pace set by its deeper and better-defined siblings and comparatively tame for a Ramey red wine, this slightly soft-edged and yet fairly coarse offering never quite musters a full complement of fruit. Tannins intrude and make for rough going at the finish, and its marginally varietal, dark-berry flavors drift steadily to dryness. 3 B A $55.00

** jn ROBERT CRAIG Howell Mountain Napa Valley 20096% Petit Verdot; 4% Merlot; 2% Malbec. Deep, rich and keenly focused on substantial curranty fruit with hints of raspberry and loamy soil to its outreaching aromas, the wine is generous in body weight, supple in texture and displays a fair amount of polish in spite of the ample tannins that firm up its latter going. Much of this wine’s personality speaks to size and depth, yet everything about it also is in balance owing to its clear and continuous fruit and its youthful energy. 1 B I $80.00iq ROBERT HALL Meritage Paso Robles 201050% Cabernet Sauvignon; 41% Merlot; 8% Petit Verdot; 1% Cabernet Franc. Soft, slightly plummy with random suggestions of cocoa peeking out here and there, this wine wanders from dried herbs to ripeness without finding clear fruity focus. It is on the full side in body and a touch soft in balance, and it is given to slight heat at the finish. 1 B I $40.00ip ROBERT HALL Paso Robles 201089% Merlot; 5% Petit Verdot; 4% Cabernet Franc. Smelling of dried herbs and boxwood with but a reluctant note of diffuse fruit in its make-up, this small-hearted working is dry beyond its tannins, and it winds up far too sere and chalky to win any sort of endorsement. 3 B A $18.00iq ROBERT MONDAVI Napa Valley 2009A bit lacking in clear definition and just a touch high-toned in the nose, Mondavi’s basic Cabernet is never particularly fruity. It is fleshy in feel, but it is roughed up by rather sere tannins, and, while it will soften in time, its timid, all-too-tentative fruit limits its chances at real success. 3 B A $28.00 ip ROCK HOLLOW Vintner’s Selection Paso Robles 201015% Cabernet Franc. With a fairly loose hold on clearly defined Cabernet fruit and a little reedy and weedy in tone, this one can

count cleanliness as an asset, but it is a small and slightly dilute wine of limited interest all the same. 3 B I $13.00

* jl RODNEY STRONG Symmetry Alexander Valley 200979% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Malbec; 7% Other. If on the one hand a big and slightly unruly wine that tilts to ripeness and comes with considerable tannins and a tell-tale streak of finishing heat, this deep and decidedly extracted effort is also rife with dense, Cabernet fruit and long on woodsy complexity. It is not one for drinking anytime soon and, in fact, demands lengthy aging, but its sheer potency portends good things ahead for those who are willing to wait for six to ten years. 1 B A $55.00* is RODNEY STRONG Alexander’s Crown 2009Alexander Valley. Lots of very obvious ripeness and plenty of densely extracted fruit are the dominant traits of this very gutsy and slightly sinewy youngster from first sniff to finish. There is nothing subtle about this wine, and finesse seems ever out of its reach, but, while it will never be pretty, it has the substance and strength to age past its gruff tannins and can take six to ten years of age. 1 B A $75.00

* it ROTH Alexander Valley 201012% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petite Sirah. Solid, well-ripened, curranty fruit sits comfortably at the heart of this nicely filled, somewhat gutsy youngster, and the wine’s combination of sinew and flesh tags it as one that wants a bit of time in the cel-lar. It is not an especially flashy or complex wine, but it gets good marks for construction and overall balance, and its ample and very honest Cabernet fruit will be around after its five-year tan-nins have softened. 3 B A $29.00* it RUBISSOW Reserve Mount Veeder 2007Napa Valley. All of the Rubissow wines are cut from similarly rustic cloth, and if each is quite tannic and very much beholden to ripeness, this one succeeds on the strength of its deep and highly extracted fruit. It is by all standards a very big and rather unruly wine, and its frontal richness is followed up by toughness to spare. It needs to be ignored for at least five or six years and will last for a good many more. O B A $125.00

ir RUBISSOW Reserve Mount Veeder 2008Napa Valley. No less ripe and rustic than its sibling from 2007, this blustery, downright swarthy take on Cabernet is arguably a bit more of both. It fights with immense tannins and heat, and its fruit is largely lost in the battle, and, while capable of aging for ten years and more, we suspect that it will wither and dry before any beauty comes. O B A $125.00iq RUBISSOW Mount Veeder Napa Valley 2007Distinguished from its pricier partners by its relative shortfall of fruit, but once again very tannic and given to prickly heat, this very full-bodied offering runs headlong to high ripeness with considerable coarseness the consequence. It does not lack for character, but it is in sore need of polish and is unlikely to find real redemption with age. 1 B A $60.00

*** jq RIDGE Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains 200972% Cabernet Sauvignon; 22% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot. Ridge has quietly been making world-class Cabernets for some forty

years and, from the beginning, they have been balanced wines that have emphasized beauty over brawn. This latest is a deep and wonderfully refined working that teams a wealth of precise varietal fruit with suggestions of fresh loam, briar, black tea and a very complementary measure of mildly vanillin oak. Make no mistake, this is by no means a “light” wine, and despite being so well crafted as to be almost seamless, it needs several years of age before even starting to hit its stride, and it is guaranteed to continue to grow for a generation. 3 B A $150.00

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ir RUBY RED Dry Creek Valley 2010By Summers. While this wine does not spend much time on the classic Cabernet pathway, it succeeds well enough anyhow for its rich, slightly chocolaty direction and its continuous backdrop of very ripe fruit from front to back. Withal, it is not a wine whose spurs are earned for fruit per se but for its weight, richness and absence of reasons to dislike it. It is a bit pricey for Good Value designation but likeable nonetheless. 3 B I $23.00ip RUBY RED Meritage North Coast 201048% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 6% Petit Verdot. By Summers. Woodsy top notes flesh out the wiry, reedy black cherry fruit aromas but are neither sufficiently focused nor sufficiently rich to help all that much. A puckery, acid-pushed finish completes this less than likeable trip down the varietal path and leaves us unsatisfied. 3 L I $23.00ip SEAN MINOR 4B Paso Robles 201020% Petite Sirah. Cabernet fruit fights without much success to make its way past this soft, rather lackluster effort’s tobaccoey, dried-leaf aspects, and the vague theme of blackberries that slowly takes shape in the wine’s flavors is summarily blunted by dry, back-palate tannins. 3 B I $ 16.00

** jn SEQUOIA GROVE Stagecoach Vineyard 2008Napa Valley. Very much a wine of its place and the gutsiest, most concentrated of Sequoia Grove’s many new Cabernets, this fleshy, fully ripened and sturdily structured rendition from the famed Stagecoach Vineyard is at once one of the winery’s richest and most backward wines. Its broad sweep of classic, blackcur-rant fruit is infused with suggestions of cola and loam, but its ample young tannins soon intervene and mark it as wine for the future. Be in no hurry here as something on the order of eight to ten years could pass before this very age-worthy effort reaches its full potential. 1 B A $ 90.00** jm SEQUOIA GROVE Rutherford Bench Reserve 2009Rutherford Napa Valley. There is a clear familial tie between this complex and very well-crafted bottling and its predecessor from 2008, but it wins the nod as our pick of the two by dint of its ever so slightly deeper fruit. It is again an especially polished wine with great range and a fine spine of tannin, and it conveys a quiet sense of varietal muscle while remaining fairly friendly and lithe. It is one we would tag for drinking some four or five years hence, but, as is the case with well-balanced Cabernets, it has a very long future before it. 1 B A $ 65.00* jl SEQUOIA GROVE Rutherford Bench Reserve 2008Rutherford. Napa Valley. From its many-layered aromas of ripe currants, black olives, herbs and mildly briary spice to its deep and solidly fruited flavors, this enticingly rich, wonderfully well-composed Cabernet claims real complexity as its own. It teases at first with a bit of suppleness on the palate, yet it quickly firms and reminds that it is still a young wine. While its vigorous fruit runs into a fair bit of finishing tannin, it has the structure and stuffing to ensure successful aging. 1 B A $ 75.00* it SEQUOIA GROVE Morisoli Vineyards 2008Napa Valley. We have more often than not found Cabernets

from this vineyard to fall on the sturdier, slightly tougher end of the varietal spectrum, but this vital young version is fairly supple and rather forward in fruit. It is still a bit simple but will surely show more with time, and its spry streak of freshening acid will keep it going for a good many years. 1 B A $ 90.00* is SEQUOIA GROVE Lamoreaux Vineyards 2008Oak Knoll Ranch. Napa Valley. While a bit tight at first and showing a smattering of herbs in its slow-to-unfold aromas, this one surprises by being fairly fleshy and full once in the mouth. Ripe and unexpectedly juicy fruit flavors are met by its muted tannins that provide a subtle measure of firmness, but there is nothing about the wine that is at all ungainly, and it looks good to go in the relatively near term. 1 B I $ 90.00* is SEQUOIA GROVE Cambium Napa Valley 2008There is a certain mildly herbal, red-cherry aspect that reminds a bit of Merlot here, and the wine’s slightly rounded, somewhat less sturdy construction does the same. Concerned more with manners and less with than muscles, this one steps a little more lightly than some of its mates, but its persistent fruit earns it the nod all the same. 1 B I $ 125.00ir SEQUOIA GROVE Napa Valley 2009There is no question but that the latest Sequoia Grove bunch hits a new high-water mark in quality for this producer, but this somewhat slender, loosely cherry-like effort struggles without managing to keep up with its mates. While it is clean and fairly firm in balance, it stints on richness and fruity depth and pulls up a just bit short at the end. 3 B A $ 38.00* jl SHAFER Hillside Select Stags Leap District 2008Napa Valley. We occasionally find a wine that is too much of good thing, and that descriptor applies here. From its intense, lavishly oaked, very ripe aromas to its immense and downright extravagant flavors, this wine seems poised right at the brink of losing control, and it is undermined by very palpable heat. That said, it exhibits richness on top of richness and will delight folks who believe bigger is better, and, given Shafer’s track record of very ripe wines that age surprisingly well, it cannot be dismissed in its all too awkward youth. 1 B A $230.00iq SHANNON RIDGE High Elevation Collection 2010Lake County. 8% Syrah. Although moderately full-bodied and given to a fair bit of puckery, acid-pushed tannins, this bottling is a little threadbare when it comes to fully realized varietal fruit, and its flavors fall off fairly early. A couple of years of age may help to diminish its angular coarseness, but it will be no better filled with time. 3 B I $23.00

** jp SIGNORELLO Padrone Proprietary Red Wine 2009Napa Valley. Striking in its sheer concentration and depth and surprisingly complex for the very big wine that it is, Signorello’s flagship red wine successfully straddles the line between being just enough and going a little too far, and it comes up a serious, very collectable bottling. It is brimming with very sure, keenly currant fruit and gives a look at leather, sweet wood, root beer and brioche with more than enough fleshy extract to cover its very big bones. Yes, it is tannic, but it is not meant for quaffing, and it will not fully reveal just how good it is for another ten or twelve years. 1 B A $145.00

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* it SIGNORELLO Napa Valley 2009A good dose of dark, well-extracted fruit slowly emerges from behind a curtain of charry oak and dark earth that at first hides everything else in the nose, and it comes clearly through in this big, brawny wine’s gutsy, tannin-framed flavors. There is little in the way of refinement or elegance to be found here, but there is plenty of muscle and mass, and we recommend that the wine be tagged for drinking with hearty meat dishes once seven or eight years have passed. 1 B A $75.00iq SILVER OAK Alexander Valley 2008So smothered in oak that its underplayed fruit gasps for air and then is overwhelmed by its presence, this hard and thinly filled wine shows nary a hint of charm, and it ends with a sere, fairly astringent, toothpicky finish. It requires a big leap of faith to take a chance on this wine’s future. 3 B I $ 70.00ip SOUVERAIN North Coast 2010Simple, somewhat thin and decidedly skimpy from its aromas to its flavors and finish, this marginally varietal effort struggles to find fruity direction and, although showing a bit of momentary viscosity to start, it takes on a slight edge of souring tartness as it empties out at the finish. 3 B I $ 19.00* it SPRING MOUNTAIN VINEYARD Elivette 2009Napa Valley. 55% Cabernet Sauvginon; 22% Cabernet Franc; 12% Petit Verdot; 10% Merlot; 1% Malbec. We have become accustomed to seeing some pretty tough, tannin-framed wines from this mountain-top producer, but, in 2009, both this one and its companion are comparatively polished and show a fine sense of crafting with moderately deep fruit shining through at every stop. It is supple in feel and firm where it should be and never is close to being prohibitively astringent, and we would not be at all surprised if it starts to show plenty of charm with only a few more years of age. 1 B A $125.00* it SPRING MOUNTAIN VINEYARD Napa Valley 200912% Cabernet Franc; 2% Merlot. With a rich and very obvious veneer of sweet oak set atop its ever so slightly restrained fruit, this carefully crafted youngster conveys very proper Cabernet muscle while keeping coarsening tannins well in check. It hints here and there of raspberries while staying focused on black plums and cassis, and it displays impressive length at the finish with no more than a touch of astringency. Four or five years will be of real benefit here, and the wine should continue to grow for as many more. 1 B A $75.00

** jn STAGLIN Rutherford Napa Valley 20096% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot. Glimmers of vanilla and pastry-crust sweetness are comfortably partnered to deep and defined fruit at every step of the way here, and hints of dried flowers slowly come into play as do complexing touches of the classic Rutherford “dust.” The wine is moderately full-bodied and lithe on the palate before youthful tannins intervene, and, if far from being polished or anywhere near ready to drink at this point, it is assuredly a keeper and will age famously for a dozen or more years. 1 B A $185.00** jn STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Fay Napa Valley 2009Polish and proportion are the strengths of this deep and very well-measured offering, and, if not a wine that is particularly flamboyant, it is long on keen Cabernet fruit and conveys a fine

sense of complexity with elements of black olive, sweet soil and root-beer-like spice juxtaposed with cassis and cherries. It keeps ripeness in check but suffers no want of richness, and it is sure to grow for a good decade or more even if showing plenty to like in its youth. 1 B A $95.00* jl STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS S.L.V. Napa Valley 2009This carefully composed, very keenly defined Cabernet makes no great show of dramatic ripeness or extravagant oak, but it instead keys in on incisive currant fruit and quickly takes on a claret-like elegance that it never relinquishes. Moderately full-bodied and slightly supple in feel with a trim spine of very fine-grained tannins, it already exhibits intriguing touches of olives and oak and rooty spice, and there is no question but that it will continue to grow for another ten tears of more by virtue of its exemplary structure and depth. 1 B A $125.00* it STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Cask 23 2009Napa Valley. We very much like this wine’s varied sensations of black walnuts, graphite, tobacco and black tea, and we like its underlying impressions of fruit, but that fruit wavers just a bit and starts drifting away in the latter going. In the end, we wish the wine had a little more drive and stamina, and, its imposing price notwithstanding, it turns out to be the least complete of the three new SLWC bottlings. 1 B A $210.00iq STARMONT Napa Valley 200911% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; 4% Cabrenet Franc; 3% Malbec. Modest as it may be in richness and always a bit stiff in manner, this firmly balanced middleweight manages to convey Cabernet character with a veneer of oak and rooty spice atop its rather limited fruit. It is not overly tannic, but its fruity shortfall leaves it dry and a bit sere at the finish. 3 B A $27.00* jl STEPHANIE Napa Valley 20088% Petit Verdot; 6% Merlot; 6% Malbec. This showy wine is long on both ripeness and continuous fruit, and its very liberal appointment of oak lends a bit of tantalizing sweetness. It is, all the same, a solidly built Cabernet with well-managed tannins for structure, and, though it may presently want for grace, it is held back by nothing more than its youth and is certain to repay patient keeping. 1 B A $50.00* it STEPHANIE Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley 200846% Cabernet Sauvignon; 21% Petit Verdot; 16% Merlot; 12% Malbec; 5% Cabernet Franc. While this generous wine is marked by the sweet oak and the same sense of fruity richness shown in the Stephanie Cabernet above, it is compromised by an abrupt rise in last-minute heat that ultimately slightly tips the scale to ripeness. It is, nonetheless, a very flavorful offering, and it will with serve as a fine foil to the likes of slowly braised lamb shanks or a classic pot roast. 1 B A $60.00

** jm STEVEN KENT Smith Ranch Livermore Valley 2009The best balanced and most keenly focused of a very good trio from Steven Kent, this bottling takes ripe currant fruit as its first theme and backs it up with rooty, briary and tea leaf notes. Its admirable aromatic volume is followed by similarly generous and rich flavors whose youthful energy is matched step for step by an equally youthful dose of firming tannin. The wine deserves time in the cellar of five to six years. O B A $65.00

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* jl STEVEN KENT Folkendt Vineyard 2009Livermore Valley. Doing a fine job of combining its ripe fruit with a whiff of milk chocolate in its aromas but never losing sight of balance or energy, this full-bodied bottling is supple to the point of slight silkiness at entry before displaying the boldest tannins of the Steven Kent trio reviewed here. Its directness would suggest that it does not need longer aging and that it might be best to drink it up in three to five years.. O B I $65.00* it STEVEN KENT Home Ranch Livermore Valley 2009A touch of milk chocolate enriches the berry-scented fruit that is so prominently displayed in this wine’s mid-volume aromas, and the same mix of rich and fruity parts is featured in its flavors as well. Somewhat supple in feel and polished at the front but very tannic as it ends, it follows the familial pattern and, like its mates, will easily reward five years of aging. O B A $65.00* iu SUMMERS Checkmate Diamond Mountain District 20096% Pinot Noir. A bold, dramatic wine to say the least, this effort is nothing if it is not packed with richness layered on top of ripe fruit on top of tough tannin. That it has a supple beginning on the palate is to its credit and gives hope that its still-hidden traits of curranty fruit and spicy berry nuances will find more obvious expression as the years go by. O B A $100.00* is SUMMERS Knights Valley 2010It may be medium-full to full in body, but this wine is lighter and somewhat restrained at its heart, and its ripe yet slightly green-gilled aromas and flavors are helped along the way by an evident veneer of caramelly oak. With hints of currants in its flavors and a firming layer of tannins to afford it some grip and solidity, this one can be enjoyed now, or in few years, with the likes of grilled steaks in light sauces. 1 B I $38.00* is SUMMERS Calistoga Napa Valley 2010From its ripe cherry first aromas to its milk chocolaty richness and its hints of berries and sweet herbs, this wine walks the line as to varietal accuracy, but it never wants for sufficient depth or solid underlying structure. Its slight latter palate dryness holds it back just a touch without costing it full commendation or shutting off its path to a few years of aging. 3 B I $32.00ir SUMMERS Knights Valley 2009Clean and focused on black cherries in its mild presentation of the variety, this wine gives up most pretense to suppleness early on and firms up quickly and without letup. Its tannins become a trifle puckery, especially in the absence of an adequate fruit layer that might have held them at bay. 1 B I $28.00* is THE VINEYARD HOUSE Napa Valley 20086% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot; 3% Malbec. Starting out a bit on the quiet side in the nose and similarly subdued on the palate, this supple, well-balanced wine commits no sin other than that

of slight omission. Its rather straightforward fruit is overlain by a modest measure of sweet oak, but it tends to dryness and is a touch sere at the end. It is, withal, a reasonably attractive wine, and it will grow a bit with age, but it never musters the kind of richness or range that we expect to see in such an ambitiously priced Cabernet. 1 B A $200.00* iu THREE RIVERS Champoux Vineyard 2009Horse Heaven Hills. A far richer working than its inexpensive cellarmate, and one that comes with far better fruity flesh on its bones, this attractive young Cabernet backs away from overt ripeness and keys on cassis, dark soils and suggestions of sweet hardwood. It is nicely balanced and shows a certain claret-like sense of composure, but it still needs another four or five years before fully hitting its stride. O B A $39.00ip THREE RIVERS Columbia Valley 2009Light, lean and low on fruity substance with a bent to stiffness and no sense of charm, this sparsely filled, slightly herbal effort finds but a faint fruity voice before narrowing and crimping off at the finish. 3 B I $21.00* jl TREFETHEN Oak Knoll District Napa Valley 2009Attractive and very carefully placed elements of sweet spice and cream provide a nice boost in richness throughout this very well-made young Cabernet, but precise and persistent varietal fruit is the larger message here. The wine is well-mannered and nicely balanced with a lingering, nominally tannic finish, and we like its chances of finding more range and cohesion if allowed five or six years of age. 3 B A $60.00in TRIM California 20109% Merlot; 8% Syrah. It is hard to find much in the way of real Cabernet character here, and the wine’s elements of earth and garden mulch are more evident than any positive fruit. The wine is thin to start and empties out as it goes, and it comes up short on pleasure and value. 3 B D $12.00* iu TRIONE Block Twenty One 2007Alexander Valley. 15% Merlot; 5% other. Hard-charging oak gets more than its share of play at most every point here, yet the wine’s ample fruit manages to keep up, and insistent elements of black cherries join those of vanilla and sweet toast. Fleshy, full-bodied with nicely balanced tannins adding just a dash of last-minute astringency, this one is not so tough as to dissuade early drinking, but it very much could do with the integration that a couple of years should bring. 1 B I $64.00iq TRUCHARD Carneros Napa Valley 200911% Cabernet Franc; 2% other. Hovering somewhere between ripe and not quite ripe and showing elements of both in scent and flavor, Truchard’s Cabernet presents a somewhat confusing mix of limited, vaguely defined fruit and pinching acidity, and its initial suggestions of flesh are too quickly lost to chalky, mouth-drying tannins. 3 B A $38.00ir VIADER Napa Valley 200970% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Cabernet Franc. Something less

*** jq TREFETHEN HaLo 2007Oak Knoll District Napa Valley. 4% Petit Verdot; 4% Malbec. As deep as any of its high-priced cousins and far more polished

than most, the 2007 HaLo is a striking wine of real complexity and nuance. It teams plentiful, keenly defined, curranty, varietal fruit with sweet and wonderfully sympathetic oak spice, and its impressions of richness are matched by those of particularly fine balance. It is replete with the sturdy latter-palate tannins that an age-worthy young Cabernet requires, and, here again, it shows a sophisticated sense of refinement that reaffirms its place as one of the very best in its class. 1 B A $175.00

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than outwardly fruity and redolent of tobacco, dusty soils, toast and autumn leaves in the nose, the latest offering from Viader is a firm and comparatively backward wine that steers to tannic austerity. Whether its fruit is just hidden away or absent is hard to assess now, but cellaring comes with no guarantees and its ultimate fate is unclear. 1 B A $115.00ip VIGILANCE Red Hills Lake County 20106% Petite Sirah; 4% Syrah. Lean at its heart and slightly reedy in tone, this somewhat underfilled effort may count cleanliness as an asset, but it never musters much in the way of interest or fruity richness, and its all-too-tentative flavors are cut short by stemmy astringency at the finish. 3 B I $25.00

** jm VINE CLIFF 16 Rows Oakville Napa Valley 2009Nicely defined and fairly expressive with a keen sense of juicy young varietal fruit running its length, this generous and well-balanced wine is both extracted and yet fairly polished in feel. It tightens up a touch in the latter going as its fine spine of tannin makes itself known yet remains convincingly fruity, and it needs nothing more than a few years in the cellar before revealing its very refined best. 1 B A $150.00* is VINE CLIFF Oakville Napa Valley 2009A little less fruity and lacking the concentration that lifts its mate to ** recommendation, this mid-sized working successfully aims for style more than richness but comes up a bit short on depth and serious reach. It is supple and just soft enough at the edges to invite drinking before too many years have passed, but we would not be at all surprised if it finds a little more interest and complexity with a few. 1 B A $85.00

** jm VON STRASSER Sori Bricco Vineyard 2009Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley. 10% Malbec; 6% Merlot; 6% Petit Verdot. Von Strasser’s collection of single-site Cabernets presents a fascinating exhibtion of the imperatives of terroir, and this one from Sori Bricco finds wholly classic varietal direction with an extra bit of sophistication and layering. It keys on ripe currants with careful accents of oak and dark earth, and it is as once both firm and fleshy. Its moderate tannins provide structure without being at all tough or intrusive, and it is clearly constructed with cellaring in mind. 1 B A $80.00** jm VON STRASSER Post Vineyard 2009Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley. 15% Malbec; 4% Merlot. Among the richest and most obvious of the Von Stasser bunch, and a wine with a little more ripeness and girth, this deep and very supple, full-bodied working shows fine concentration and plenty of strength with a continuous line of dark fruits. It hints here and there at loam and a bit of black licorice, and it is supported by well-measured oak. While moderately tannic, it nonetheless comes across as slightly more open than many of its mates, and it will fully come into its own with another five to ten years of age. O B A $80.00** jm VON STRASSER Spaulding Vineyard 2009Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley. 10% Merlot; 4%

Petit Verdot. The 2009 vintage has very clearly been a good one for Von Strasser, and picking a favorite Cabernet from its folio is no easy task. That said, this one vies for top honors by virtue of its keen definition and richness. It exhibits a wealth of deep and very precise fruit even as it shows an extra measure of ripeness, and that fruit never eases up despite its toughening tannins. Its inner strength suggests that it may be the longest aging wine of the clan, and we are confident in predicting ten or more years of very positive growth. O B A $80.00

* iu VON STRASSER Agira Vineyard 2009Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley. Concentrated and distinctly curranty Cabernet fruit is the centerpiece of this very well-focused wine and is framed with a nice measure of mildly sweet oak that lends a distant suggestion of root beer. While the wine is open and friendly to start with comparatively gentle tan-nins, it narrows and tightens as trailing acidity comes on at the finish and tags it as one that very much needs a good five or six years in which to relax. O B A $80.00

* is VON STRASSER Estate Vineyard 2009Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley. A little less obvious and a bit more constrained, but still possessing a keen sense of young Cabernet fruit, the estate-vineyard bottling is more about quiet persistence than substance and strength. It is presently cut short by late-arriving acids and coarsens a bit at the finish, but it should soften and smooth over the course of the coming half-dozen years. 1 B A $70.00ir VON STRASSER Vineyard 2131 2009Diamond Mountain District. There is a distinct and singularly herbal aspect to the aromas of this one that is not shared by the other Von Strasser efforts, and the wine is a bit more subdued with respect to accessible fruit. Its acid-pushed tannins work to limit its lesser flavors, and, in the end, it never wholly convinces that time is on its side. 1 B A $80.00

iq VON STRASSER Diamond Mountain District 2009Napa Valley. While pleasant enough, if slightly smaller-scaled, in the nose with a motif of clean, cherry-like fruit and a touch of cola, this rather limited wine falls short of its siblings once in the mouth, and its narrow, slightly acidy flavors want for continuity and fruity heft. 1 B I $45.00* jl WHITEHALL LANE Reserve Napa Valley 2009Strong and very confident Cabernet fruit is met by nice oak in both kind and measure first in the outgoing aromas and then again in the deep, nicely filled flavors of this slightly plush and very generous wine. It is fairly ripe, if not emphatically so, and carefully steers clear of excess, and, even while fairly forward in its fruity gifts, it is sure to gain in complexity if tucked away in the dark for a few years. 1 B I $75.00iq WHITEHALL LANE Napa Valley 200912% Merlot; 3% Petit Verdot; 1% Malbec. This direct, slightly underfilled wine mightily differs from its pricey Reserve partner insofar as it is a little too coarse for its own good and wants for more fruity richness. It is summarily cut off at the finish by acid and tannin, and its prospects for better with time in the cellar are modest at best. 3 B A $40.00iq ZD Reserve Napa Valley 2009There is simply too little fruit and richness at work in this pricey wine to earn it anything more than also-ran status, and while there may those who can find virtue in its lean construction and who will defend its understatement, it is limited in reach and a touch too herbal for us. 1 B I $138.00

* iu CHARLES HEIDSIECK Rosé ReserveLightly cherryish top notes and distinct yeasty and minerally scents give this one a solid start, and the fullness and weight expected of mid-priced Rosé are buttressed on the palate by a fully foamy mousse and by a minerally, lemony and lightly tannic finish. Try this one with savory finger foods. O C D $70.00

* is CHARLES HEIDSIECK Brut ReserveClean, lively and moderately fruity with classic Brut austerity and minerality held as background complexity, as is its evident but quietly expressed aged yeast autolysis, this wine is crisp and foamy on the palate and comes with a touch of biscuitty richness to its likeable flavors. 1 C D $32.00* it DELAMOTTE Brut Rosé Obviously autolyzed and hinting at times of something faintly nutty, this very clean, very crisp and very dry take on Rosé is firm and structured without giving in to excessive astringency, and its slight finishing grip should hold it in good stead with foods. It is never so deep nor so elegant as its Grand Marque competition, but this a good, well-made Rosé. O C D $90.00* is DELAMOTTE Brut Blanc de BlancsIf showing the lighter step expected of a Blanc de Blancs with a quiet minerally streak running its length, this wine tilts a little to lemons and limes and is never all that complex. It starts out with a suggestion of sweetness but winds up slightly tangy and fairly crisp at the end, and it will complement the likes of scallops and freshly cracked crab. O l D $65.00ir DELAMOTTE Brut From its seemingly older and slightly tired aromas to its clean, but rather lackluster, flavors, this bottling comes with a modest acidy bite, yet it could do with a boost in brightness. Its bubbles are small, but they do not stick around, and it drifts to dulling dryness at the finish. 1 C D $50.00iq DELAMOTTE Brut Blanc de Blancs 2002Extra aging has brought a modest measure of added richness here, but it has also sapped the wine of some energy. A bit soft at the margins and less than vigorously bubbled, this one may be clean and well-mannered, but it is dogged by dullness every step of its way, and it should be tagged for drinking up in the near future. O C D $95.00

* iu DUVAL-LEROY Brut RoséDuval-Leroy's Brut Rosé proves to be a far more interesting wine than the basic Brut of the same label, and, where the latter is a fairly plain, if competent, sparkler, this one shows more fruity depth and autolysis. It is not as weighty or as overtly vinous as some of its pink-colored cousins, but it is lively and quite well-balanced with the lightest bit of grip to its refreshing, very long-lasting finish. O C D $60.00ir DUVAL-LEROY BrutLeaning ever so slightly to sweetness even if still staying within Brut lines and fairly subdued as far as any yeasty complements go, this rather direct and comparatively simple wine makes but a minimal effort to say Champagne, and it winds up both tart and a bit candied at the end. 1 C D $35.00

** jo GOSSET Blanc de Blancs Grand Brut This very vibrant and vital sparkler is wonderfully rich in yeast, and it sports a keenly defined sense of autolysis from beginning to end, yet it retains the freshness and lemony brightness that distinguishes fine Blanc de Blancs and is buoyed throughout by bracing, perfectly integrated acidity. It is frothy and foamy and its tiny bubbles persist, and, as inviting and involving as it is on its own, it promises to be that much better when teamed up with a platter of fresh Kumamotos. O l D $100.00* is GOSSET Brut Excellence Clean and a little light on the nose, but sporting a nice sense of freshness and graceful accents of yeast, this very approachable effort follows with nicely rounded, easy-to-taste flavors that are similarly a bit understated in autolysis. The wine is not forcefully effervescent but is never wanting for bubbles, and it will drink as well on its own as it will with a wide range of more delicately flavored foods. 1 C D $46.00** jo GOSSET Brut Grande Réserve There are not many bubblies on either side of the pond with the depth, richness and grandeur exhibited here—especially for the price asked. Its yeasty, toasty, biscuitty first nose is followed hard

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We have traditionally taken a brief look at new French Champagnes in December as both a bit of a year-ending treat and as a reference point by which to measure our own local successes. The argument goes that you cannot compare the two any more than you can apples and oranges, but the truth of the matter is that everyone does, and, let’s face it, the better efforts of Epernay and Reims are the gold standard in fine sparkling wines.

We say the “better efforts” deliberately because it seems to us that French Champagne is a very mixed bag these days. Too many basic Brut bottlings from the larger houses have arguably slipped into real dullness of late, and there are fewer and fewer that we would choose over the likes of the far more priceworthy wines of Roederer Estate, J Wine Company or Schramsberg. Perhaps, it is just that California has gotten that much better with bubbles One thing for certain, however, is that when the folks in Champagne get things right, the wines are rarely with peers. This month that point is driven home with real emphasis by the remarkable Grand Marque offerings of Perrier-Jouët, Laurent-Perrier and Taittinger, a couple of unexpected show-stoppers from Lanson and by the surprising and comparatively affordable Gosset Brut Grande Réserve. There has been a rising chorus of voices warning that Champagne has been so afflicted by global warming that the district is doomed; that the remarkable freshness that is typical of great Champagne is threatened. Others, including many of the Champenoise themselves, say no, that less-severe weather makes for better wines. It has been argued that Rosé production in particular has benefitted from warmer summers that bring added richness to the red wines so important in such blends. It seems to us that the jury is still out, and that definitive statements are a bit premature, but we confess to being especially taken by the across-the-board successes of this year’s Rosé versions. While never so outward and affably fruity as their new world cousins, the Rosé Champagnes tasted showed exceptional richness, involving complexity and a sense of refinement surpassed by no sparkling wine in the world.

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on by scents of tight, steely, minerally fruit with a creamy overlay that holds everything together. Rich and enveloping with its tiny and continuous bubbles, then very refined and deep in its long, expressive, richly autolyzed finish, this is a compelling wine for serious first courses like sautéed shrimp napped in cream sauce and served with a dollop of caviar. O l D $68.00* jl HENRI ABELÉ BrutNicely autolyzed in the nose and colored by a bit of appealing bake-shop sweetness from its time en tirage, Abelé�s successful non-vintage Brut is a complete and well-composed wine that is explosively bubbled and slightly creamy in feel. It is moderately complex and showing especially well now, but it is so carefully balanced that it promises to keep comfortably for at least a few further years. 1 C D $45.00* is HENRIOT Brut Cuvée Des Enchanteleurs 1998In another era, Champagnes that were aged until they had lost most of their minerally fruit and had become toasty, rich and polished were only then considered to be ready to serve. Today’s marketplace prefers a fresher approach, and this well-developed wine is seems a bit out of step. Still, it is solid and is holding up nicely despite the slightly slower pace of its gentle mousse and soft finish. O C D $200.00** jo LANSON Brut Blanc de Blancs Extra Age It may be without vintage, but clearly this wine has seen plenty of time en tirage, and yet it has not lost any of the delicacy and quiet power of very good Blanc de Blancs. Its aromas are complex and hue to a yeasty, toasty line, all without doing anything that would interfere with the crisp, lemony, refreshingly austere and so very graceful fruit at the wine’s center. Its bubbles are fine, insistent and creamy and come with an incisive, biting edge that emphasizes the wine’s mix of depth and refinement at one and the same time. We like it. O l D $120.00** jm LANSON Brut Rosé Extra Age Here again, Lanson has grabbed the gong with an aged version of a non-vintaged sparkler, and has done so smartly with a similar mix of grace and depth. Its immediate and unmistakable aromas deliver clear suggestions of Pinot Noir fruit along with a strongly supportive layer of yeasty richness, and its flavors come wrapped in a smooth, polished mousse that keeps the wine’s heart front and center. Long and tasty, this wine will be a stone winner with salmon, duck or lighter pork dishes. O L D $120.00* is LANSON Brut Extra AgeA very nice wine, but less convincing than its mates, this bottling features direct, somewhat basic and entirely likeable Brut aromas of lightly citrusy fruit and background notes of toast and soy. Its bubbles are appropriately forceful if somewhat on the larger size

for type and price, and they ride herd over the mid-depth flavors and finish. 1 l D $100.00** jp LAURENT-PERRIER Rosé Grand Siècle 1998Alexandra. In all truth, it is a little hard to believe that this very bright and vital Champagne has passed it fourteenth birthday, for it has somehow held on to wonderfully pure fruit even while developing the kind of complexities that only time can bring. It is creamy and mouthfilling with a wealth of fine bubbles and is terrifically long on the palate. While the wine shows a touch of real Rosé astringency, it is never less than beautifully polished. Its ongoing richness tags it as one that will shine with flavorful salmon or duck entrees, but it invites slow and contemplative drinking on its own. O C D $300.00** jn LAURENT-PERRIER Grand SiècleIf wines were judged solely on the basis of their aromas, this one might have sat squarely at the top of the ratings because it is so very easy to luxuriate in its creamy, yeasty, soy-latte, complex mix of nuanced and forceful pieces. Its brisk, appley fruit goes on and on and is perfectly fitted to its dramatic aromas, and it also lifts and balances the wine’s buttered brioche, biscuitty flavors. It is a little more direct in the mouth and ends with just a touch more coarseness than some here, but, all in all, this is a deep and lovely effort for special occasions. 1 l D $ 120.00

* jl MUMM Blanc de Blancs de Cramant While leading with a quick note of biscuits and dark toast in the nose, this lean and fairly classic Blanc de Blancs quickly fixes on lean, distantly citric fruit and shows a strong bent to minerals. It is quite dry and slightly austere under its creamy mousse, and its lengthy, ever so slightly chalky finish is punctuated by the barest hint of stony bitterness. O l D $75.00* is MUMM Brut Cordon Rouge Elements of green apples and half-candied lemons are met by a mild, but evident, bit of toastiness first in the nose and again in the flavors of this rather straightforward offering. The wine is moderately foamy and its mousse stays the course, and, in the end, it shows just enough champenized richness to earn full and complete endorsement. 3 C D $40.00* jl NICOLAS FEUILLATTE Rosé There is a certain sense of youthful gregariousness to this very fruity Rosé, yet it is not a simple or superficial wine, and there is real depth to its faintly cherry-like fruit. It is not wildly toasty or weighed down with yeast, yet it is nicely balanced and sports an especially fine complement of tiny bubbles, and it takes on an extra bit of richness owning to its gently autolyzed trim of sweet cream and toast. 1 C D $40.00

of deep, lemony, chalky, creamy, lightly vanillin bits. Its finish is extraordinarily long, and it conveys an impression of impeccable crafting from beginning to end. 1 l I $120.00*** jq PERRIER-JOUËT Brut Rosé Belle Époque 2004This beautifully made Rosé walks a tight line between being a little austere and slightly fruity, but it does so with remarkable grace and shows such depth and complexity as to rank with the very finest rosé Champagnes to be had. It hints at cherries but is far more than fruity and is infused with tantalizing elements of pot de crème and fresh-baked brioche. It is wonderfully creamy in feel with a never-ending stream of the tiniest bubbles and is so beautifully balanced that it we could sip it quite comfortably all evening long. It is serious stuff to be sure, but it is always so very inviting, and special occasions will be made more special yet with a glass in hand. O C D $275.00

*** jr PERRIER-JOUËT Brut Belle Époque 2004And then there is this remarkable wine, whose depth, richness, vitality and precise character move it to the head of the class. A few privileged tasters will point out offerings at twice its price as proof that there is more yet to be had in Champagnes, but those wines, while spectacular, are no more drinkable or polished. For here, in a dramatic yet balanced presentation, is a serious wine that layers complex yeast, brioche and wheat toast notes on top

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iq NICOLAS FEUILLATTE Brut Réserve Fairly muted and slightly austere in the nose with but sparing suggestions of autolyzed yeast, this wine comes across much the same in mouth, and its flavors are a bit thin and muted. It hints faintly of candy but lacks any clear sense of fruit, and a touch of last-minute bitterness rises in its otherwise abrupt and uninter-esting finish. 1 C D $40.00* iu PERRIER-JOUËT Grand Brut Distinctive touches of blossomy sweetness and a hint of green apples emerge in the fresh, lightly yeasty aromas of this wholly engaging effort, and the wine is frothy and well-balanced with clean and very like-minded flavors that are backed up with brisk and bracing acidity. It is not intensely yeasty but exhibits clear autolysis throughout, and it covers all of the bases that a good basic Brut should. 1 C D $50.00ir PIPER-HEIDSIECK Brut Rosé SauvageIt’s dark, almost red wine color and its title both suggest a more rustic wine, and, to be sure, there are some rough edges here that will be off-putting to some. That said, the wine’s vinosity is also a strong positive for those who are looking for a bubbly to go with their veal or Kobe beef and fois gras burgers. And that would be quite yummy. O L D $55.00ir PIPER-HEIDSIECK BrutSame rating as the wine above, but less unique in its eventual place at the dining table, this basic Brut does deliver an inviting aroma of fresh yeast, Meyer lemon and a touch of vanilla. Its bubbles are frothy and on the rich, creamy side, but they and the wine’s flavors tend to drift off a bit as the wine ends and, all in all, it falls just short of commendation. 1 C D $40.00

** jp POL ROGER Rosé Extra Cuvée de Réserve 2002The time spent in waiting has been well worth the result here, for while this frothy, well-bubbled wine is still surprisingly bright and long on very pure fruit, it has developed a lovely patina of toasty complexity during its years in bottle. It is has grown into an expressive and wonderfully complete example of keen and careful champenization whose many pieces are seamlessly fit, and its combination of riveting richness and real finesse earns it high accolades indeed. O C D $75.00** jo TAITTINGER Blancs de Blanc 2002Comtes de Champagne. From its first, complex, generously yeasty aromas and on through its very deep, distinctly autolyzed flavors, this rich and compelling wine goes beyond the normal bounds of Blanc de Blancs. It is amazingly rich and charged by a very fine stream of unending bubbles, and it has the vitality that its genre predicts, but it has more volume and comes with more layers of interest than we anticipate from a Chardonnay cuvée. It will drink wonderfully with any number of lighter foods, but it is a complex and most involving wine that we would gladly sip slowly on its own. O l D $195.00** jm TAITTINGER Brut Rosé Comtes de Champagne 2004Solid stuff by any and all measure, and a Rosé of considerable vinosity, Taittinger’s very deep and substantial interpretation is, if anything, still very young and not yet fully integrated. It is on the austere side with minerals and nominal yeast backed up by sub-dued suggestions of cherry skins, and it is framed in obvious acidity that accentuates its finishing astringency. This is not one for washing down oysters and very much wants drinking with food, and, if given the choice, we would opt for several more years of age before popping its cork. O C D $200.00

At the invitation of John and Janet Trefethen, the yours truly ventured up to the Napa Valley not so long ago to dine with famed English winewriter, Hugh Johnson. We gathered in the Trefethen’s hillside home, whose surrounding vineyards have yielded the Halo Cabernet that regularly tops of the CGCW tasting charts—and does so again in his issue.

Mr. Johnson who, for most of us who have ever put pen to paper and scribbled out our thoughts on wine, is a close as there is to a diety, has enjoyed a hallowed spot in our lives for decades and decades. In fact, make that decade and decade and decade and decade. The ostensible reason for this soiree was nothing more than his presence among us. But, Mr. Johnson is not a man whose presence goes without attention, and for whom, there will be large quantities of interesting wines to taste.

While I am tempted to bore you with the full and complete details of our conversation, suffice it to say that he espouses the now familiar concerns about California ripeness—albeit with less condemnation than some of our own writers who see excess in every grape that has ripened fully. Mr. Johnson asks questions rather than rattling off narrow philosophies, and, given the many older wines, most of the conversation centered around questions about ageworthiness.

While we all mostly agreed (there were twelve folks gathered around the table all of whom know what they are talking about), that the last decade and a half has yielded wines that are riper than their predecessors, there was no general agreement as to the aging potential of those wines. On

Amazing Beauty in 40 and 50-Year Old California Cabernets

39

that front, it was more questions than answers, and even the most optimistic of us, which would be yours truly, had to admit that we are just now entering the middle age of the riper wines that emerged in the mid-90s.

The wines we tasted on the night gave us good clues, but not definitive answers. Yet those clues are, to us, sufficiently instructive to come up with a defensible theory. Some of the wines tasted carried typical California ripeness about them, but their age meant that they do not come with the elevated alcohols that we see almost across the board today. That said, here is what those wines have taught me yet again.

The oldest of the wines was 1955 Inglenook Cask Cabernet. The wine was in perfect condition, assuming that you will accept that its primary fruit is no longer evident, with rich, focused aromas and a wonderful sense of balance and poise. At 57 years old, it is enjoying a long plateau of useful drinkability, and its currant and tea focus was about as classic as one gets.

Served next were a trio of Beaulieu Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernets, dated 1968, 1969 and 1970. With fills up into the neck and corks that came out in near pristine fashion for the 68 and 70 but crumbled for the 69 yet was not a leaker, the bookend vintages, at least, were still loaded with drinking pleasure.

The 1968, at 44 years old, was a joy to behold. Its ripe aromas were deeper and more concentrated than the Inglenook and reminded in focus of the top wines coming from the West Rutherford area today. Dirt is dirt and Cabernet is Cabernet, and while better plant materials, modern trellising systems and global warming may all be contributing to riper grapes at harvest, those influences have not changed the character of the wines coming off the bench so long as they are picked before the grapes wither on the vine.

1969 did not hold up as well and was past its prime but not destroyed, and the 1970 continues to be an exemplary wine. For sure, it is forty years old and counting, and its American oak influence accounts for some of its tangy edges, as does the passage of time, but it was, as it has been for decades now, a clear example of the fruit and tea-leaf complexity that its label has yielded time and time again.

Its still-alive structure led to a comment by our guest that the 1970 California Cabernets had held up better and longer than their fabled Bordelais counterparts. And that comment then led to the question of the evening. Did we think that the current crop of Cabernets, with their higher alcohol levels would be ageworthy? Please note that he did not ask if they would live forty or fifty years.

And here is why we differ from all the naysayers who predict dire aging results for today’s top wines. Back forty years ago, when the 1970 California and Bordelais wines were both quite successful and the California wines were winning comparative tastings, folks who favored the French wines, meaning Europeans and American wannabes, all said, “Well, they (California wines) might be good today, but they are too ripe and they will fall apart”. Funny thing, the California wines have not but the Bordelais have.

So here we are, today, with a similar set of comparatives. The better California wines do just fine in side-by-side blind tastings with their French counterparts, and they are still getting dinged for being riper. And the same folks who said that the California wines would not age back forty years ago are still saying the same thing today.

Now, let’s be clear that we are not talking about overripe, 15% and up wines in general, although some of them are also going to age just fine, as we will explain in a minute. The majority of collectable-quality Cabs from the Napa Valley and elsewhere are not overripe, dried grape concoctions. They are ripe, and they have fruit, depth, structure and balance just as they did forty years ago. There is no reason to think that today’s ripe and deep wines like Pride, Shafer Hillside, Continuum, Chappellet Pritchard Hill, Hobbs ToKalon, Rubicon, Beaulieu Private Reserve, Staglin and hundreds more like them will all fall apart at ten years old. There was precious little empirical proof back in 1970 that our wines would, in large numbers, be able to age for two, three, even four decades. Today we have that proof.

The 1968 BV smelled ripe the other night. It also was alive at forty-four years. It was, as we sat there, an unmistakable, undeniable hint that today’s wines are really not all that much different. One degree of alcohol higher has not spoiled Bordeaux, and it has not spoiled California Cabs.

That’s our story, and we are sticking to it. One final note: the BVs were all from our cellar and had been stored at fifty-five degrees. Good wines and good storage lead to wines that age well.

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After two years of difficult harvests, the winemakers could not have asked for much better conditions than a long, moderate growing season in which everything seemed to ripen well and at a pace designed to make their lives as easy as they can ever be at harvest. How could anything be wrong in this perfect year? Well, we are beginning to hear the other side of the equation now that things are in and fermentations are finished or finishing.

“We got fifty per cent more tonnage than we were expecting” complained one winery owner whose dealings with vineyard owners had no controls over tonnage. After years of grape shortage, who could have anticipated a grape deluge. Said a winemaker speaking off the record, “we are out of barrels and we still have thousands of gallons of wine in tank. We are either going to have to go lighter on oak than the wines deserve or put them in used barrels which will let the them at least mature in small cooperage but which will add less richness to the finished package.” Heard today was yet another complaint, “Our Rockpile Zin is one of the weakest we have ever made. The crop was so large that the grapes simply did not ever get physiologically ripe. We have alcohol but no flavor”. Now, please do not worry. There is more than enough good news to go around. We bring you these tidbits of disappointment to remind you that even the clearest of skies can contain unseen clouds that lack silver linings. This vintage will go down as very good to great for most wineries and thus for almost all consumers.

Of course, for us, the year has been very good as well. It always is because we get to taste the finished wines, and the problem children rarely reach our tables. Without further ado, then, herewith our awards for The Best of 2012.

WINERY OF THE YEARThis year, we offer you two special choices. The Frank Family winery gets our Winery of The Year Award for excellence across the board. Multiple star ratings were garnered in virtually every category starting the year off with Zinfandel and ending with Cabernet Sauvignon, and touching Petite

Sirah, Sangiovese, Chardonnay and Sparkling Wine along the way. Ridge Vineyards also earns Winery of The Year Award for its multiple three and

two star performances, including highest ratings for Monte Bello Cabernet and Lytton Springs Zinfandel. In a world in which winery fortunes and rise and fall, it seems, with the tides, Ridge continues to set standards for others to emulate.

THE BEST RED OF THE YEARThe Best Red of The Year Award goes to a most unlikely candidate. Who would have guessed that a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Sangiovese could have been the most exciting wine of the year? But it is. We have tasted Stolpman’s La Croce 2010 on three occasions in the last few months and each time, it has been head and shoulders better than the competition. But it is not just better. Somehow the addition of the Sangiovese has, in this wine, provided the life, the vitality, the zest, the backbone needed for the very good Syrah that Stolpman is growing on its ranch in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon.

THE BEST WHITE OF THE YEARIt turns out that two of the top candidates for this award are sparkling wines, and as each is a brilliant display of character, balance, winemaking and ageworthiness, both probably deserve the award. Schramsberg’s J. Schram 2005 is about as deep and as good as it gets in sparkling wine on either side of the pond. It is a perennial challenger for this award and, as it does this year, always seems to make an appearance in our Top Ten. But, perhaps because it is older, so incredibly graceful and still finds a way to be full of California sunshine while embracing the delicacy, range, beauty of the best in the world, this year’s Best White Award goes to J Vineyards Late Disgorged Brut 2001.

CHARLES OLKEN’S Best of the ***WinesCHAPPELLET Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill 2009DuMOL Pinot Noir estate Russian River Valley 2009DRAGONETTE Pinot Noir Black Label (Reserve) 2010FREESTONE Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard 2009J Brut Late Disgorged Russian River 2001LAETITIA Pinot Noir La Coupelle Arroyo Grande 2008OLSON OGDEN Syrah Unti Vineyard Dry Creek Valley 2009LEWIS Chardonnay Napa Valley 2010STOLPMAN Syrah/Sangiovese “La Croce” 2010STORYBOOK MTN Estate Reserve 2009

Best of the **WinesALYSIAN Chardonnay Selection Russian River 2009 BLACKBIRD Cabernet Franc Contrarian 2009CH. ST. JEAN Fumé Blanc Petite Etoile 2010CORISON Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard 2008DEHLINGER Pinot Noir Altamont Vineyard 2009ERATH Pinot Noir Prince Hill Dundee Hills 2009FRANK FAMILY Zinfandel Napa Valley 2009KOSTA BROWNE Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch 2010OJAI VINEYARD Syrah White Hawk Vineyard 2006PAHLMEYER Chardonnay Napa Valley 2010ROEDERER ESTATE Brut Rosé Non-Vintage

STEPHEN ELIOT’S Best of the ***Wines BEEKEEPER Zinfandel Madrone Spring Vineyard 2009FREESTONE Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard 2009J. SCHRAM Sparkling Wine 2005KOSTA BROWNE Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard 2010MERRY EDWARDS Pinot Noir Meredith Estate 2009OJAI VINEYARD Syrah Presidio Vineyard 2006RAVENSWOOD Zinfandel Old Hill 2009STOLPMAN Syrah/Sangiovese “La Croce” 2010RIDGE Zinfandel Lytton Springs 2009TREFETHEN Cabernet Sauvignon HaLo 2006

Best of the **WinesADELAIDA Viognier The Glenrose Vineyard 2009AURIELLE Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008DIERBERG Syrah Santa Ynez Valley 2009 DRAGONETTE Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon 2010MERRYVALE Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 2009NORTHSTAR Merlot Columbia Valley 2008OJAI VINEYARD McGinley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2010FRANK FAMILY Petite Sirah Reserve SJ Vineyard 2009SANDHI Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010SCOTT FAMILY Chardonnay Dijon Clone Arroyo Seco 2010 TABLAS CREEK Côtes de Tablas 2010

Best Buys in the Market

Connoisseurs’ Series

*** Storybook Mountain Zinfandel Estate Reserve Napa Valley 2009, ** Goldeneye (By Duckhorn) Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard Anderson Valley 2009 and ** Domaine de la Terre Rouge Syrah “Ascent” Sierra Foothills 2008.

Created by the California Wine Club exclusively for Connoisseurs’

Guide readers, and featuring only our two-star and three-star

selections, the CONNOISSEURS’ SERIES wine-of-the month club

makes hard to get wines available for you. Featured this month are:

Dismissed by some as having had its day in California, Syrah is still responsible for a host of remarkably good wines hereabouts, and our latest tastings have found a bevy of beauties at very sensible prices. The ** DIER-BERG Santa Ynez Valley 2009 ($34.00) is a deep and wonderfully rich wine of exemplary crafting and polish, and it is a Syrah well worth seeking out. The 90-point * OJAI VINEYARD Santa Barbara County 2009 ($28.00) is a deep, impeccably balanced bottling built for lengthy keeping, and the complex, solidly structured * SANDLER Connell Vineyard Bennett Valley 2009 ($20.00), while impressive now, is similarly set to get even better with age. On the lighter and more accessible side, the fruity, berry-like * ROBERT HALL Paso Robles 2009 ($18.00), the juicy * HORSE & PLOW Grist Vineyard Dry Creek Valley 2010 ($16.00) and the lively, low-tannin * J. LOHR South Ridge Paso Robles 2010 ($15.00) are all fine performers at the price, and the generously fruited, Syrah-based * VINA ROBLES Red 4 Paso Robles 2010 ($17.00) will make welcome drink-

ing with dishes ranging from grilled steaks to sausages. Finally, keep an eye out for Charles Smith’s buoyant and balanced * BOOM BOOM Washington State 2010 ($15.00), an incisively spicy, wonderfully price-worthy Syrah that is tasty now but has the potential to grow with time.

Year in and year out, California Sauvignon Blanc always seems to afford a wealth of noteworthy values, and we are happy to report that things have not changed. Heading up December’s list of Best Buys, the ** CHATEAU ST. JEAN Fumé Blanc La Petite Etoile Vineyard 2010 ($22.00) is a intensely flavorful effort that is optimally ripened and spry at one and the same time, and it vies for top honors this month with the deep, finely crafted ** FROST WATCH Kismet Bennett Valley 2011 ($24.00) and the beautifully focused, surprisingly sophisticated ** OJAI VINEYARD McGinley Vineyard 2010 ($28.00). Among value-priced favorites earning one-star award, the com-plex and vivacious * 90-point VOSS Napa Valley 2011 ($18.00) continues the winery’s winning ways with the grape, and both the brisk, lightly grassy * FERRARI CARANO Fumé Blanc Sonoma County 2011 ($15.00) and the lively * ROCK HOLLOW Vintner’s Selection Santa Barbara County 2011 ($15.00) are easy to like. The fresh and fruity * SIMI Sonoma County 2011 ($15.00), the mildly melony * GUENOC Lake County 2011 ($16.00) and its companion bottling, the * GUENOC Lillie’s Collection North Coast 2011 ($15.00) come with the added attraction of being in very wide distribution, and, if perhaps a bit harder to find, the * JOEL GOTT California 2011 ($12.00) is an honest, well-defined Sauvignon Blanc that hits the mark smartly at the price. Although coming up just short of full one-star endorsement, the very fruity and straightforward CONTRADA Napa Valley 2010 ($10.00) and the clean-as-can-be KENWOOD Sonoma County 2011 ($10.00) are genuine bargains and easy to recommend.

There is no question but that it is high season for sparkling wine, and ROEDERER ESTATE wins especially enthusiastic recommendation when it comes to indisputable value. The ** ROEDERER ESTATE Brut Rosé Anderson Valley ($28.00) is an involving effort of striking richness and range, while the very classy, carefully composed 90-point * ROEDERER ESTATE Brut Anderson Valley ($23.00) is without peer when it comes to fine bubbly priced under $25.00. We are impressed with a pair of bottlings from a new label and welcome the fine and fruity * RACK & RIDDLE Rosé North Coast ($20.00) and the yeasty * RACK & RIDDLE Brut North Coast ($18.00) to the “Best Buy” roster, and the creamy and complex * GLORIA FERRER Blanc de Noirs Carneros ($20.00) earns easy inclusion as well. Lastly, two pairs from two producers deserve special mention for fine value even if they are not quite so highly rated. The * KORBEL Blanc de Noirs California ($13.00), the

KORBEL Brut Rosé California ($13.00), the DOMAINE STE. MICHELLE Blanc de Blancs Columbia Valley ($11.00) and the DOMAINE STE. MICHELLE Brut Columbia Valley ($11.00) are all fine choices when looking for likeable sparkling wines that will not break the bank.

SYRAH

SAUVIGNON BLANC

SPARKLING WINES

For more information about CONNOISSEURS’ SERIES, please call the California Wine Club at 1-800-777-4443 or visit www.cawineclub.com/connseries

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Write to us at PO Box V, Alameda, CA 94501. Our phone is 510-865-3150. Fax: 510-865-4843. Email: cgcw@aol.com. Web: www.cgcw.com.

December 2012 Index CABERNET SAUVIGNON

CHAMPAGNE

** jo ACKERMAN Napa Valley 2007** jm ACKERMAN Napa Valley 2008** jm AMICI Spring Mountain District 2009* iu AMICI Morisoli Vineyard Rutherford 2009* it AMICI Napa Valley 2009 ir ANCIENT PEAKS Paso Robles 2010* jl ARNS Napa Valley 2007* it ARNS Napa Valley 2008* it ARTESA Artisan Series Napa Valley 2009 iq BARRA Mendocino 2009* iu B CELLARS Blend 24 Napa Valley 2009 ir B CELLARS Blend 25 Napa Valley 2009 iq BEAUCANON Longwood Napa Valley 2009* jl BEAULIEU Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley 2008 GV ir BEAULIEU Napa Valley 2010* jl BELL Napa Valley 2009 ir BELL Clone 6 Rutherford Napa Valley 2008 ir BELL Claret Napa Valley 2009* it BELLA VETTA Ami’s Vineyard 2008 ip BLISS Mendocino 2010* iu BLUE ROCK Best Barrels Alex Valley 2009 ip BONTERRA 87% Mendocino County 2010** jn CADARETTA Springboard Columbia Vly 2008 io CASTLE ROCK Paso Robles 2010* iu CH. STE. MICHELLE Meritage 2009* is CH. STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek Vyd 2009 iq CH. STE. MICHELLE Druthers 2009 iq CH. STE. MICHELLE Cold Creek Red 2009 ip CH. STE. MICHELLE Columbia Valley 2010 ir CLIF FAMILY Kit’s Killer Cab 2009* is CLOS LA CHANCE Reserve Central Cst 2009** jp CORISON Kronos Vineyard Napa Valley 2008** jn CORLEY State Lane Vineyard 2009* jl CORLEY Monticello Tietjen Vineyard 2009* iu CORLEY Reserve Napa Valley 2009* is CORLEY Yewell Vineyard Napa Valley 2009 ir COUNTER PUNCH Rutherford 2009** jo DANCING HARES Red Wine Napa Vly 2009* jl DARIOUSH Napa Valley 2009* jl DARMS LANE Bon Passe Vineyard 2009 ir DECOY Napa Valley 2010** jo DIAMOND CREEK Red Rock Terrace 2009** jm DIAMOND CREEK Volcanic Hill 2009* jl DIAMOND CREEK Gravelly Meadow 2009* it DRY CREEK VINEYARD Endeavor 2008* it DRY CREEK VINEYARD Meritage 2008** jn DUCKHORN Monitor Ledge Vineyard 2008** jm DUCKHORN Patzimaro Vineyard 2008* jl DUCKHORN Rector Creek Vineyard 2008* iu DUCKHORN The Discussion Napa Vly 2008* iu DUCKHORN Howell Mountain 2007* it DUCKHORN Napa Valley 2009 iq EBERLE Vineyard Selection Paso Robles 2010 iq EBERLE Estate Bottled Paso Robles 2009 ir EDGE North Coast 2010* GV is EDUCATED GUESS Napa Valley 2010* it FEATHER Columbia Valley 2009 ip FRANCISCAN Napa Valley 2009

* iu CHARLES HEIDSIECK Rosé Reserve –– * is CHARLES HEIDSIECK Brut Reserve ––* it DELAMOTTE Brut Rosé ––* is DELAMOTTE Brut Blanc de Blancs –– ir DELAMOTTE Brut –– iq DELAMOTTE Brut Blanc de Blancs 2002* iu DUVAL-LEROY Brut Rosé –– ir DUVAL-LEROY Brut ––** jo GOSSET Blanc de Blancs Grand Brut ––* is GOSSET Brut Excellence ––

** jo FRANK FAMILIY Reserve 2009** jm FRANK FAMILY Winston Hill 2009* iu FREEMARK ABBEY Napa Valley 2009 iq FUSE Napa Valley 2010 ip GIRASOLE Mendocino 2009* is GRGICH HILLS Estate Grown 2009* is GRGICH HILLS Yountville Selection 2008* it HUGE BEAR Sonoma County 2009* iu HYPOTHESIS Napa Valley 2010* jl J. DAVIES Diamond Mountain District 2009* is J. LOHR Hilltop Paso Robles 2009 GV ir J. LOHR Seven Oaks Paso Robles 2010 iq J. LOHR Hilltop Paso Robles 2008 iq JOEL GOTT 815 California 2010*** jr JOSPEH PHELPS Insignia Napa Valley 2009* it JOSEPH PHELPS Napa Valley 2009** jm KADIEM Napa Valley 2009** jo KENWOOD Artist Series Sonoma Co. 2008* it KNIGHTS BRIDGE Knights Valley 2009* iu LAUREL GLEN Sonoma Mountain 2009* is LAUREL GLEN Counterpoint 2009 * is LES BELLES COLLINES Napa Valley 2009 ir LES BELLES COLLINES Les Sommets 2009* is LONG MEADOW RANCH Napa Valley 2009* jl LONGORIA Evidence Santa Barbara 2010 ir LOUIS M. MARTINI Sonoma County 2010 io LUCINDA & MILLIE Mendocino County 2010 iq MARILYN Meritage Napa Valley 2010 iq METTLER Lodi 2009 ir MIA NIPOTE Livermore Valley 2009* jl MINER Stagecoach Vineyard 2009* is MINER Oakville Napa Valley 2009** jn MOONE-TSAI Cor Leonis Napa Valley 2009* it NADIA Santa Barbara Highlands 2010* jo PAHLMEYER Proprietary Red Wine 2009 ir PAUL DOLAN Mendocino County 2010 ir ECH MERLE Alexander Valley 2009 ip PEDRONCELLI Three Vineyards 2010* it PEJU Napa Valley 2009* iu PONT DE CHEVALIER Knights Valley 2009** jm PRIM FAMILY Howell Mountain 2009* jl PRIME Coombsville Napa Valley 2009** jm PROMISE Rutherford Napa Valley 2008* it PROVENANCE Rutherford Napa Valley 2009 ir PUNCH California 2009* it RAMEY Annum Napa Valley 2009* it RAMEY Pedregal Vineyard Oakville 2009 ir RAMEY Napa Valley 2009 *** jq RIDGE Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mtns 2009** jn ROBERT CRAIG Howell Mountain 2009 iq ROBERT HALL Meritage Paso Robles 2010 ip ROBERT HALL Paso Robles 2010 iq ROBERT MONDAVI Napa Valley 2009 ip ROCK HOLLOW Vintner’s Selection 2010* jl RODNEY STRONG Symmetry Alex Vly 2009* is RODNEY STRONG Alexander’s Crown 2009* it ROTH Alexander Valley 2010* it RUBISSOW Reserve Mount Veeder 2007

** jo GOSSET Brut Grande Réserve ––* jl HENRI ABELÉ Brut ––* is HENRIOT Brut Cuvée Des Enchanteleurs 1998** jo LANSON Brut Blanc de Blancs Extra Age –– ** jm LANSON Brut Rosé Extra Age –– * is LANSON Brut Extra Age ––** jp LAURENT-PERRIER Rosé Grand Siècle 1998** jn LAURENT-PERRIER Grand Siècle ––* jl MUMM Blanc de Blancs de Cramant ––* is MUMM Brut Cordon Rouge ––

ir RUBISSOW Reserve Mount Veeder 2008 iq RUBISSOW Mount Veeder Napa Valley 2008 ir RUBY RED Dry Creek Valley 2010 ip RUBY RED Meritage North Coast 2010 ip SEAN MINOR 4B Paso Robles 2010** jn SEQUOIA GROVE Stagecoach Vineyard 2008** jm SEQUOIA GROVE Rutherford Bench Res 2009* jl SEQUOIA GROVE Rutherford Bench Res 2008* it SEQUOIA GROVE Morisoli Vineyards 2008* is SEQUOIA GROVE Lamoreaux Vineyards 2008* is SEQUOIA GROVE Cambium 2008 ir SEQUOIA GROVE Napa Valley 2009* jl SHAFER Hillside Select Stags Leap 2008 iq SHANNON RIDGE High Elevation Cltn 2010** jp SIGNORELLO Padrone Proprietary Red 2009* it SIGNORELLO Napa Valley 2009 iq SILVER OAK Alexander Valley 2008 ip SOUVERAIN North Coast 2010* it SPRING MOUNTAIN VYD Elivette 2009* it SPRING MOUNTAIN VYD Napa Valley 2009** jn STAGLIN Rutherford Napa Valley 2009** jn STAG’S LEAP WINE CLRS Fay 2009* jl STAG’S LEAP WINE CLRS S.L.V. 2009* it STAG’S LEAP WINE CLRS Cask 23 2009 iq STARMONT Napa Valley 2009* jl STEPHANIE Napa Valley 2008* it STEPHANIE Proprietary Red Wine 2008** jm STEVEN KENT Smith Ranch Livermore 2009* jl STEVEN KENT Folkendt Vineyard 2009* it STEVEN KENT Home Ranch Livermore 2009* iu SUMMERS Checkmate 2009* is SUMMERS Knights Valley 2010* is SUMMERS Calistoga Napa Valley 2010 ir SUMMERS Knights Valley 2009* is THE VINEYARD HOUSE Napa Valley 2008* iu THREE RIVERS Champoux Vineyard 2009 ip THREE RIVERS Columbia Valley 2009*** jq TREFETHEN HaLo 2007* jl TREFETHEN Oak Knoll District 2009 in TRIM California 2010* iu TRIONE Block Twenty One 2007 iq TRUCHARD Carneros Napa Valley 2009 ir VIADER Napa Valley 2009 ip VIGILANCE Red Hills Lake County 2010** jm VINE CLIFF 16 Rows Oakville 2009* is VINE CLIFF Oakville Napa Valley 2009** jm VON STRASSER Sori Bricco Vineyard 2009** jm VON STRASSER Post Vineyard 2 2009** jm VON STRASSER Spaulding Vineyard 2009* iu VON STRASSER Agira Vineyard 2009* is VON STRASSER Estate Vineyard 2009 ir VON STRASSER Vineyard 2131 2009 iq VON STRASSER Diamond Mountain 2009* jl WHITEHALL LANE Reserve Napa Valley 2009 iq WHITEHALL LANE Napa Valley 2009 iq ZD Reserve Napa Valley 2009

* jl NICOLAS FEUILLATTE Rosé –– iq NICOLAS FEUILLATTE Brut Réserve ––*** jr PERRIER-JOUËT Brut Belle Époque 2004*** jq PERRIER-JOUËT Brut Rosé Belle Époque 2004* iu PERRIER-JOUËT Grand Brut –– ir PIPER-HEIDSIECK Brut Rosé Sauvage –– ir PIPER-HEIDSIECK Brut ––** jp POL ROGER Rosé Extra Cuvée de Rés 2002** jo TAITTINGER Blancs de Blanc 2002** jm TAITTINGER Brut Rosé C/Champagne 2004