1 | Wine | California, 95 or higher | Page 5

"Pierre Seillan believes the Chalk Hill fruit provides a truffle-like character and the Alexander Valley gives minerality, structure, tannin and intensity. The 2008 will be fascinating to taste next to the 2007 over the next 30+ years. Sweet mulberry, blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with notions of black truffles, damp earth and forest floor emerge from this beauty of stunning intensity, purity and texture." -Robert Parker

"Inky purple. Exotic bouquet combines wild dark berry, cherry compote and licorice, lifted by notes of potpourri and cracked pepper. At once dense and juicy, with a compelling sweetness to its intense blackberry, boysenberry and violet pastille flavors. Bright acidity and a deep Moroccan spice quality give this wine energy and aromatic persistence. The blue fruits continue on the finish, which refuses to let up." -Stephen Tanzer

"Dense, rich and focused, youthful and concentrated, with hints of maturity on the edge of the core currant, mineral and spicy berry flavors. Wonderful vibrancy and intensity for a wine this age, which only bodes well for the future. A classic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot."

"The 2010 is a breathtaking, stunning wine of the very highest level. It boasts superb integration of fruit, acidity and structure. Blackberries, camphor, licorice and white flowers are some of the many nuances that flow from this dazzling Cabernet Sauvignon. All of the aromas and flavors build effortlessly to the savory, totally satisfying finish. Togni’s 2010 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is a monumental, epic wine in the making."

"Not surprisingly, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard is a profound Cabernet Sauvignon. The equivalent of a Bordeaux first-growth Pauillac, it boasts abundant quantities of creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, cedar, and subtle smoky oak and espresso notes. Atypically sexy for a 2006, it is full-bodied with oodles of concentrated black fruits, stunning purity and length, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute." Reviewed by Robert Parker, 96+ pts.

"Sweet notes of bouquet garni intermixed with roasted coffee, chocolate, black cherry, and black currant. The wine is deep, rich, round, but once the tannins kick in at the back of the palate, this wine clearly begs for bottle age." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 1995 exhibits a character similar to the 1994 - cassis, fruitcake, cedar, herbs, coffee, and black fruits intermixed with smoke - but the 1995 is slightly longer in the mouth. It is a wine of extraordinary extraction, full body, and marvelously pure fruit. Moreover, it has managed to soak up the 100% new oak aging, leaving only subtle pain grille notes." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"From the Oakville estate of Plumpjack...the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, licorice, and graphite. Flawlessly put together, with delicate tannins, full body, but elegance combined with power, this impressively pure, layered, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon is already drinkable." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is sumptuous and layered, with plenty of the aromatic nuances that are typical of this site. Ripe red fruit, flowers, spices and licorice are some of the notes that flow from this refined, finessed Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009 impresses for its dazzling purity and finesse."

"The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch is just an amazing wine in the vintage. Notes of smoked meats intermixed with licorice, camphor, graphite, blackberry, and flowers, with a hint of cedar and spice box, have produced a wine that is more up-front and forward than most Abreu wines have been, and gorgeously rich and full-bodied." Reviewed by Robert Parker.