Good deep ruby. Less expressive on the nose today than the Vintner Select Merlot, hinting at currant, mocha, brown sugar and sweet oak. Then tighter and less sweet on the palate, but with noteworthy purity and definition to the flavors of dark raspberry liqueur, tobacco, minerals and black olive. This lively, firmly built cabernet finishes floral and long, with dusty tannins that call for at least two or three years of cellaring. Winemaker Johnson notes that these vines practically touch those used for the Vintner Select Merlot, but the cabernet gets the afternoon sun while the merlot is favored from the mid-morning through mid-afternoon.

The outrageously delicious 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Select (100% Napa fruit) possesses sweet blackberry, cassis, licorice, chocolate, charcoal and graphite aromas. A classic 2007 on the palate with a voluptuous texture as well as tremendous opulence, purity and depth, this broadly flavored, expansive wine cuts quite a swath across the palate with no hard edges. Enjoy it over the next decade.