2005 St Eden Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark red-ruby. Musky aromas of red- and blackcurrant and mocha display a slightly carnal truffley element. Fat, sweet, rich and seamless; wonderfully plush, deep wine with currant, plum and mineral flavors saturating the palate and lingering on the very long, ripely tannic back end. This superb wine is gentle and creamy, but perfectly integrated acidity gives it captivating inner-mouth lift.

Dark ruby-red. Deep aroma of dark fruits, mocha, minerals and licorice. Plush, lightly gamey and sweet, showing lovely depth and finesse to its flavors of plum, currant and mocha. Finishes with noble, fully buffered tannins that reach the incisors.

The 2005 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.