($100; 100% cabernet sauvignon) Good medium ruby. Black cherry, cassis, creosote and mint on the nose. Juicy, minty and on the lean side, with minty and herbal high tones lifting the dark berry flavors. With an edge of acidity and less mid-palate stuffing for its dusty tannins, the finish is a tad dry.

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Lail's flagship 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2003 J. Daniel Cuvee, is a 900-case effort made from two fruit sources, the Howell Mountain hillsides and the valley floor Vine Hill Vineyard near Yountville. The result is a gorgeously proportioned, dense purple-colored offering boasting a stunning nose of black currants, smoke, earth, and charcoal. Big and rich, with superb purity and great structure, but neither overbearing nor astringent, this beauty should drink well for 15 or more years.

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Magnum. Drank beautifully