Tasting as if it had just been bottled, the 2001 Stature comes from some remarkable vineyard sites, including the Beckstoffer To-Kalon, Stagecoach and Atlas Peak vineyards. Composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, it exhibits beautiful lead pencil shavings, pen ink, blackberry, blueberry, cedar and camphor notes. This full-bodied, moderately tannic 2001 has a long life ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030. Tel. (800) 769-3649

Already bottled, this wine isn’t scheduled to be released until March 2005. If you like your Cabs big, rich and chewy (and who doesn’t?) it’s never to early to start badgering your retailer or wholesaler to try to get you some of the 613 cases produced. Toasty notes accent dark chocolate and plum scents, while intense cassis flavors fill the mouth. Sturdy; try after 2006.——W.E.(3/1/2004)—— 93

This Bordeaux blend is certainly an oaky wine. It’s made in a fruit-forward style, and seems lusher, softer and more accessible than K-J’s other new release, Highlands Estates Cabernets from Sonoma County. Of course, it’s also more than four years old now. It’s a really good wine, with a flashy opulence that makes it appealing. ——S.H.(5/1/2006)—— 90