Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ripe, plummy. Beautiful floral perfume. Broad.

A treat to try the ‘05 and ‘06 side by side. I found the ‘05 to be a bit more in the zone. Muddled raspberry, black cherries, fleshy red fruit skin and clove aromatics. Structured and powerful on the palate. Touch more licorice flavor here vs the ‘06, and more crushed rock notes.

Superb wine enjoyed after dinner so that this wine could have the stage all to itself. Back fruits with deep aromatics draped in clove, rocks and right amount of oak to carry the slightly aging fruit to the right end of the aroma spectrum. Landing soft and wet then medium plus acid takes the dark, sliced fruit to a long and layered finish.

Some good cassis still there, lots of beefy (syrahesque) reduction with at ouch of barnyard ass well. Sweet tannins, still pretty chewy. Must have been a bear on release. Solid.

Great! This can last a while longer.

2005

So many good wines. This one showed a little bit of funk right after opening, but turned into a very Lush fruit forward and dense wine that smacked you across the face and finished with conviction. Tannin still rather present here, but has softened. Nice!

Delicious. Still has miles to go. Plenty of black fruit, spice and velvety tannins holding it together. Wish we had a few more but this is a one and done for us.

Blackberry, bramble and graphite.

Spectacular now, can't wait for 5 yrs from now.