2009 BOND Vecina

The 2009 Vecina is dark, sumptuous and also remarkably forthcoming for a young wine from this Oakville site. Smoke, leather, tobacco, licorice and grilled herbs infuse a dark, virile Cabernet Sauvignon that leans more towards sensuality than pure power. In any other tasting the 2009 would steal the show, but the level of this flight is high. Very high.

Saturated ruby. Primary aromas of cassis, blackberry and licorice. Dense and sweet but still youthfully medicinal, with highly concentrated black fruit and saline mineral flavors coming across as very backward today and displaying limited personality. This seriously tannic wine finishes classically dry but thoroughly ripe and will also need extended aging to deliver the generosity it showed shortly after it was bottled.

BOND's 2009 Proprietary Blend Vecina, from Vine Hill Ranch, is fascinating to taste after the St. Eden. While the St. Eden is round and sensual, the Vecina is all about linear power and structure. Endowed with tremendous length and persistence, the Vecina presents endless layers of dark fruit and expressive aromatics supported by considerable tension and energy.