Dusty, chalky cherry, blackberry and vanilla. Dense, linear style. Real focus. Creamy blueberry fruit. Grippy mineral tannins.

Tastes more like a Zinfandel than a Cabernet, with a briary mouthfeel and flavors of black pepper and weedy green nettles. But there’s lots of blackberry and black currant richness, and the wine is totally dry, with full-bodied, thick tannins. Unusual for a Cabernet, but a nice, complicated red wine for drinking with grilled meats.——S.H.(5/1/2010)—— 89