($150; 65% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot) Bright ruby-red. Black and blue fruits complicated by licorice, minerals and fresh herbs on the nose. Rich, broad, lush and full, even if it conveys less easy sweetness and personality today than the Muse (but then this is Seillan's Pauillac-style blend). Best today on the sensational back half, which features a major coating of suave tannins and an extremely long, aromatic finish that reverberates with subtle floral tones. Interestingly, this cabernet-based wine has a higher pH than the merlot-based Muse: 3.78 vs. 3.64.

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Another great showing for a wine from this vintage, the 2004 La Joie is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The majority of the fruit came from the Alexander Mountain Estate, followed by Knight's Valley, Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill. Full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, it is richer than either the 2003 and 2001, and comes closer to the 2002's personality. Sweet notes of caramels, espresso roast, forest floor, camphor, plums, chocolate and blackberries emerge from this full-bodied, unctuously textured, chewy, fleshy 2004. It requires another 3-5 years of bottle age and should keep for three decades or more.

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Inky ruby in color, this wine has a rich nose of dark roasted espresso, leather, and forest floor aromas that jump out of the glass. In the mouth it is surprisingly lithe given its powerful nose, and once past a deeply earthy first impression it offers beautiful flavors of cherry, tobacco, cassis and notes of herbs that seem like a light haze mixed in with the fine dusty tannins. The finish is long and dry. A very pretty wine. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 % Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.