Composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec, the saturated purple-colored 2004 Proprietary Red Wine is a wonderful monster in the making. It boasts a dense purple color as well as notes of beef blood, creme de cassis, licorice, incense and spring flowers. It looks more like a 2-year-old wine than one that has seen its tenth birthday. Mouth-coating, unctuously textured, corpulent but well-delineated, this is a spectacular Proprietary Red that is even greater than I remember it in its youth. Bravo to Jayson Pahlmeyer (I believe his winemaker at the time was Erin Green) for this dynamic duo of 2004s. Jayson Pahlmeyer has done as good a job with Merlot as anybody in Northern California. Tel. (707) 255-2321; Fax (707) 255-6786

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, the outstanding 2004 Proprietary Red Wine possesses a deep ruby/purple color in addition to notes of vanilla, espresso roast, black currants, plums, and licorice. This rich, full-bodied, flamboyant, lush, heady red is best consumed over the next 12-15 years. Previously recommended: 2003 Merlot (92), 2003 Proprietary Red Wine (94).Tel. (707) 255-2321; Fax (707) 255-6786