2005 St Eden Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Eden is from an 11-acre vineyard on the foothills north of the Oakville crossroad that has the classic red, rocky soil of this area, essentially in the foothills of the Vaca Mountains that define the eastern edges of Napa Valley. This wine, which shows notes of new saddle leather, Christmas fruitcake and spice, is broad and savory, with a classic full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity and sensational flavors of wild forest mixed with blackberry and cassis fruit. This blend can be drunk now, or cellared for at least another two decades.||These wines are from Bill Harlan and his winemaking team. There certainly were no surprises, as they performed magnificently at age ten. Of course, they’re all 100% Cabernet Sauvignons. Harlan’s visionary spirit is responsible for long-term leases, which today include five fabulous sites spread out through different terroirs of Napa Valley. In 2005, there were only four, as the Quella, which is a 9-acre site in the eastern foothills of St. Helena, had not yet come to fruition. The culled-out component parts that are considered by the Bond Estate to be less impressive are blended together for what is essentially their second wine, The Matriarch, which is frequently a gorgeous wine, and made to be an early drinker.|Bond, Tel. 707.944.9445 eRobertParker.com.June, 2015