In 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is entirely from W.S. Keyes ranch. A huge, statuesque wine, the 2019 possesses tremendous intensity right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, gravel, menthol, licorice and spice build in an opulent, dramatic Cabernet that hits all the right notes. This is such a classic expression of Howell Mountain.

The 2019 Red Wine, Caladan's Merlot-based blend, is flamboyant to the core. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice and sweet oak are all kicked up in this decidedly exuberant wine. Winemaker Chris Carpenter opted for hillside sites for this blend, so there is plenty of supporting mountain structure lurking beneath all of that fruit.

With time, this Cabernet is now beginning to reveal its cornucopia of autumn fruits on the nose; black currants, plum, figs, red and blue berries. The palate is equally packed with flavour. However, the tannins remain upright, structural, imposing even, less rounded out than in La Muse or Le Désir. There is a delicious, savoury note to this wine, making it immensely appetising despite its firmness. It is drinking now, with a little help from a good steak, but has really only just begun its journey to ultimate pleasure.

Right from the start, this wine tells you exactly what it is all about, all Cabernet class, cassis, green leaf on the nose and pure, compelling graphite on the palate. This is an immensely powerful wine of regal stature. Statuesque but dynamic thanks to the seam of fresh acidity running through it like a current of air, the tannins are beautifully managed but are uncompromising at this stage. There is a denseness to the wine at this stage. The overall impression is one of monolithic splendour, like the greatest of Bordeaux Pauillacs.

The 2019 Red Wine, based on 67% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and miniscule amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot, is the most difficult blend to put together. A deep, rich, powerful Merlot, it has tons of red and black fruits as well as chalky minerality, medium to full body, a dense, compact mid-palate, and complex notes of spring flowers and spice.

Winemaker Chris Carpenter fashions the Caladan releases to be more complex, lifted, and perfumed. Mostly from Spring Mountain, the 2019 Cabernet Franc checks in as 79% Cabernet Franc and 21% Merlot, aged in 75% new French oak. Gorgeous black raspberry, cassis, and earthy currant fruits as well as lots of spring flowers, iron, and spice notes emerge on the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, pure, and polished on the palate, with plenty of tannins and structure. It has some accessibility today, yet smart money will hide bottles for 4-5 years, and this beauty is going to evolve for at least two decades.

2018 Cardinale is a 90/10 cabernet sauvignon/merlot aged 22 months in 81 percent new French oak. It comes at you in waves from the glass as it gulps in oxygen. Winemaker Chris Carpenter appears to be letting Cardinale find its way, and the result is a less boisterous, more stylish Napa cabernet that tells an impressive tale. The wine is magnificently balanced, rich in black and blue fruits, bright acidity and Napa Valley power with a strong, savoury, mineral undercurrent. Long, complex, and nowhere near ready to drink, it is a delight to taste. You will eventually get to enjoy the full picture by 2024-26, but it will age effortlessly into the 2040s and beyond.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2016 La Joie soars out of the glass with stunning Cabernet Sauvignon red berry fruit, wild flowers, mocha, spice and mint. Elegant and refined, with striking depth, La Joie is pure and total finesse in 2016. It is one of the most sublime, nuanced wines I have tasted from Vérité.

Planted in 1946 on a sand dune in the cooler, elevated northeast of McLaren Vale. Hand-picked and sorted in the winery, the fermentation is wild. It is a glorious example of grenache picked earlier than in the past, retaining all the freshness of red cherries/berries, spices starting to build, tannins beautifully shaped.

Whole bunches, wild yeast, open fermenters and French oak (35% new). The quality here is sensational. It delivers a power of fruit in the freshest of ways, its glove of smoky/cocoa-like oak the perfect partner. Seriously ultra-fine tannin, and accompanying length, completes what must be described as a beautiful picture.

From six estate blocks, 75% destemmed, every berry optically scrutinised by a very expensive piece of equipment that happily deals with any disease or other damage (say botrytis). Wild yeast-open fermented, plunged, 14 months in French oak (20% new). The pure singularity of this certified biodynamic wine has a different face to its King's Wood sibling. It relentlessly captures the senses with its dark spiced fruits, the aftertaste slowly diminishing.

Matanzas Creek has a long and storied history with merlot, good times and bad. In the beginning, Matanzas (along with Duckhorn and a couple of other notables) had the novel idea (at the time) to present merlot as a stand-alone wine. It had previously been used almost exclusively as a blending component of most cabernet-centric California wines. The Matanzas merlot of the 1980s was well-received and helped put the Sonoma Valley winery on the map. As if to confirm its faith in the merlot grape, nearly 30 years ago, the winery planted the Petrus clone of merlot and created its flagship red blend, Journey. Petrus, of course, is the infamous chateau in the Pomerol district of Bordeaux and 100 percent merlot. The 2015 Journey is an extension of the original concept: a rich, lush merlot-based red (approximately 70 percent merlot, 30 percent cabernet sauvignon) that is beautifully perfumed, with complex notes of red and black fruits, impressive depth and a structure that suggests it will age well over 15 to 20 years.

This is one of the gems in the Kendall Jackson portfolio. This is a world class Cabernet. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, cedar, milk chocolate, and a bit of char. On the palate, this has a wonderful muscular texture. Firm tannins. Lots of cassis fruit. Deep and complex if still tight. Lively with great balance and precision. Long finish. This is delicious but grabs your attention. It still has some upside as it ages and probably at least seven to ten years from peak. It should easily last two more decades, plus. It should be versatile to go well with most medium and heavier foods as it by no means an over sweet fruit bomb. It would be interesting to watch it mature as in twenty years it will drink like a St. Julien, Bordeaux. Grade: A+ Score: 97 Vintage: 2015

Tasting a Twelve-Year Vertical of the Napa Valley-Based Blend The Cardinale Rule Intense ruby color; velvety texture with notes of black plum and blackberry. Structured and generous with toasty vanilla and new oak; deep, creamy, and rich with length and beautiful balance. Unlike some Napa producers that expect you to wait years, Chris Carpenter makes wines that are immediately drinkable and delicious.

Tasting a Twelve-Year Vertical of the Napa Valley-Based Blend The Cardinale Rule Both red and black currant. Wood and deep, dark soil notes are subdued by fruit brilliance. Very youthful and delicious.

Tasting a Twelve-Year Vertical of the Napa Valley-Based Blend The Cardinale Rule Smooth, seductive, and delicious. Bright red fruit. Lovely, with perfect balance.

James Halliday On The 2020 Cabernet And Family Varietal Winners The estate is particularly proud of this wine, with the attention to every nuance the wont of the regime: cold-soaked, berry-sorted, naturally fermented and extracted to glean real tannin:fruit transfer to glass. The oak sourcing is, as always, superlative. Franc's bell to chilli pepper lift gently lilts over a torrent of dark fruit allusions. The tannins, licked by bitter chocolate and tomato bush, are impeccably wrought, tightly knit, and milk chocolate smooth; neither hard nor aggressive. Just juicy. The length is very impressive.

James Halliday On The 2020 Cabernet And Family Varietal Winners A quintessential Australian blend in the hands of master American winemaker Chris Carpenter delivers the goods. 18 days on skins in all, before maturation in a combination of Bordeaux and Burgundy barrels. This is stellar gear. Expensive, undoubtedly, but the perspicacious obsession with tannin management rewarding from the first impression until the bottle is empty. The tannins are like a groomed piste of molten chocolate, gently riveted across the palate. These guide the senses to the next lick of fruit and riff of texture, while pulling the saliva out in preparation for the next sip.

From the La Jota estate vineyard as well as W.S. Keyes, this impressive wine opens in coconut, chocolate and mocha. Structured tannins lead the way to generous toasted oak, clove, garrigue, tar and leather, a savory whirlwind of concentrated density and lasting beauty adorned in thick black fruit. This will do well in the cellar; enjoy 2026–2031.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California Blueberries, crushed stones, blackberries and violets. So floral. Full-bodied, yet tight and polished with pointed tannins that give it energy and vivacity. This is the Ausone of Napa. Better to wait three or four years. Try after 2022.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California This is stunning on the nose with crushed cassis, like creme de cassis, and violets. So beautiful to smell. Medium to full body. Compact, refined tannins flow across the palate to the borders of the wine. All about balance, freshness and purity. One of the best ever. Drink or hold.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases WOW—the 2017 Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard reveals the most beautiful perfume of beeswax, peach blossoms and lemongrass with a core of spiced apples, poached pears and almond croissant. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers layer upon layer of savory, citrus and stone fruit flavors, finishing long and spicy.

Napa Valley's 2017s Previously released under the Cardinale label, the 2017 Cabernet Franc is a Cabernet Franc-driven release inspired by Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux. Coming all from mountain vineyards (Mt. Brave on Mt. Veeder, Yverdon on Spring Mountain, and W.S. Keyes on Howell Mountain) and 77% Cabernet Franc and 23% Merlot, raised in 72% new French oak, it’s an incredible achievement in 2017 and offers a huge perfume of red currants and black raspberries interwoven with notes of dried flowers, chocolate, and forest floor. Complex and nuanced aromatically, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, incredibly elegant texture, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. Hats off to winemaker Chris Carpenter for this awesome 2017. Drink bottles any time over the coming 15-20 years or more.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth A resounding success for the year, the 2017 Cardinale is truly impressive. It is also one of the most refined young wines I have tasted here. In most vintages, Cardinale is predominantly made from mountain sites, but the 2017 is roughly equal parts mountain and valley floor fruit. Inky blue/purplish fruit, white flowers, lavender and mint all build in the glass. Lifted and beautifully perfumed, the 2017 is exceptionally polished.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Retrospective Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain rolls out of the glass with exuberant warm cassis, blueberry compote and Black Forest cake notes plus hints of exotic spices, wilted roses, black licorice and underbrush with a waft of dusty soil. Full-bodied, rich and beautifully perfumed in the mouth, it has plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing very long and fragrant. Still very youthful, this beauty still has at least another quarter of a century of cellaring in it! 88 cases were made.