2004 Vecina Cabernet Sauvignon

Deep medium ruby. A touch of reduction and serious medicinal reserve to the aromas of black fruits, licorice, mocha and stony minerality; showed a hint of pruney ripeness with air. Very concentrated, brooding, sappy wine with huge cassis, black raspberry, medicinal black cherry and licorice flavors framed by somewhat tough, granular tannins (the other Bond 2004s appear to have more pliant tannins). In a fairly tough style for this vintage and very slow to evolve. Will this wine soften and gain in sweetness? It certainly still needs time.

(14.5% alcohol): Bright, saturated ruby. Black fruits, licorice, minerals and iron on the very ripe nose, along with a touch of spicecake. Plush, broad and velvety, offering a lovely restrained sweetness. Really extraordinary palate coverage here but will still need time to express its inherent complexity. Finishes with superb lengh; the tannins are huge but lush and sweet, saturating the tongue.

The 2004 Vecina emerges from an 11-acre western Oakville hillside not far from the famed Harlan Estate. This wine, which I rated identically in 2008, has a huge nose of bouquet garni, roasted meats and is clearly the spiciest of all the Bond 2004s. It is full-bodied, viscous and thick, with some tannins still to resolve in the finish. Again, there’s no reason to defer gratification because of the incredibly complex aromas as well as flavors. Some new saddle leather also makes an appearance in this multidimensional, full and impressive wine. This is a terrific example of great Napa viticulture combined with extraordinary craftsmanship from Bob Levy and Michel Rolland, with a long-term vision provided by the inimitable Bill Harlan. Drink this wine over the next 2-3 decades. A brilliant project of Harlan Estates’ proprietor, Bill Harlan, these single-vineyard wines have been everything a Cabernet connoisseur could ever hope for since they were first released. Amazingly, these wines taste better with age than they did young, which is exactly what Harlan and his winemaking team of Bob Levy and consulting enologist Michel Rolland are trying to prove.