($75) Good moderately saturated red-ruby. Very pretty aromas of raspberry, currant and violet, along with some smoky oak. Juicy, fruity and minerally; in a more vertical, less fleshy style than the young 2006, but showing lovely precision of fruit for a wine that's still youthfully tight. Today the tannins are a bit obtrusive and the wine's sweetness and volume are still hidden, but its firm spine suggests that this will reward five to seven years of cellaring. In fact, noted Forman, the berries were larger in 2005 and couldn't stay on the vine as long as they were getting shriveled. "They gave an atypically Beaujolais-like fruitiness and we got less tannic extraction," he said. Long-time fans of this classy wine will be interested to know that Forman recently did a major vertical tasting of his cabernet and reported that the standouts were the '83, the '96 and a particularly Bordeaux-like '87.

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The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon may be one of the finest examples made at this estate in many years. His goal is to produce a California version of Haut-Brion or Ausone, or even better, a combination of those two renowned Bordeaux. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of white flowers, black fruits, and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, rich, intense, super pure, and well-delineated, it should be at its finest between 2010-2020+.

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