The medium to deep garnet colored 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Wow—it has an incredibly evocative nose of Black Forest cake, redcurrant jelly, cassis, dried roses, blackberry pie and lavender with fragrant wafts of tilled soil, licorice and incense. The medium to full-bodied palate is completely packed with rich, opulent fruit framed by firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with epic length.

Sleek, rich and intense, this beautifully balanced red offers a complex mix of black currant and black cherry, red and black licorice. Firm, focused, expansive and layered, ending with classic Bordeaux-like cedar, tobacco and cigar box notes. Drink now through 2020. 1,684 cases made. -JL

This is a monster Cabernet, in the best sense. Comprised of all five Bordeaux varieties, it’s bone dry, enormously complex and firmly masculine, with very big, hard tannins. Concentration on the flavors shows layers of blackberries, black currants, blueberries, mocha, violets, sweet charred oak and a firm grounding of minerals. An outstanding wine from the Pritchard Hill region east of the Silverado Trail, but one that needs cellar time to resolve the tannins. Better after 2013, and should develop for many years after that.