2003 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch

Cakebread’s dense ruby/purple-tinged 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch, which comes from Howell Mountain, is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It spent just under two years in French oak prior to being bottled in a shapely, boutique, tall glass bottle. The most backward of this trio, it reveals plenty of graphite, black currant, earth and spice characteristics in its tight but promising personality. This rich, mountain-styled effort reveals more structure and rigidity as well as loads of promise and potential. At age ten, it has hardly budged from its post-bottling status. It is a 30-year wine that is just beginning its adolescence. Only for connoisseurs of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with cold cellars and plenty of patience. Forget it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following three decades. Tel. (707) 963-5221