1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder (1,600 cases) reveals an opaque purple color, and a sumptuous, Medoc-like nose of lead pencil, minerals, black currants, and smoky oak. It is extremely full-bodied and massive in the mouth, with sweet tannin, a layered, plushly-textured mid-palate, and a firm, exceptionally long, pure finish. This classic mountain-styled Cabernet Sauvignon can be drunk now, but it will be even better with 5-7 years of cellaring. It will keep for 2 decades. Another luxury operation in the Kendall-Jackson portfolio, this winery appears to be doing everything right. The wines are 100% Cabernet Sauvignons made in limited quantities of 250-350 cases. The wines are aged in 100% French oak casks (45%-75% new), malolactic fermentation is done in barrel, and the wines are bottled with no filtration. All of these wines revealed outstanding aromatics, natural, chewy, expansive textures, and exceptionally ripe, concentrated fruit. Moreover, they are candidates for 20 or more years of cellaring. In short, I am very enthusiastic about this project. Tel. (707) 544-4000; Fax (707) 263-6817

Deep ruby-red. Distinctive aromas of raw crushed blackberry and game. Powerful, dense and solidly structured, but already displays a compelling, sappy sweetness. This makes the above wine seem downright polite. Finishes with major tannins but here the tannins seem sweeter.