Another killer wine from David Ramey comes from the Pedregal Vineyard. This is one of my favorite sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in all of Napa, right on the Oakville crossroads on the western side of the valley, just adjacent to Rudd and slightly down the hill from Dalla Valle and the Phelps Backus vineyard. Rocky, iron-rich, red soils seem to produce terrific Cabernet Sauvignon, and certainly this is a knock-out. Sadly, there are only 325 cases of the 2004 Pedregal, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Petit Verdot. Dense purple with notes of creme de cassis, cedar, truffle, and crushed rocks interwoven with extravagant levels of graphite, black currants, and scorched earth, this dense, powerful, rich wine is a real connoisseur’s selection as it will need 3-4 years of bottle-age and should keep for 20-30+ years. Tel. (707) 433-0870; fax (707) 433-0871

This is notable for two things: It shows the extreme ripeness of the vintage, and also showcases the way even the ripest Oakville grapes veer toward darker-hued stone fruits and berries of balance and finesse. This soft, rich, fat, opulent Cab bursts with cassis, spicy purple plum, black cherry, dark chocolate and sweet licorice flavors, and is best now and for the next six to eight years, before the fruit fades.——S.H.(7/1/2007)—— 93