2007 TOR Cuvée Susan Red

A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cimarossa Vineyard on Howell Mountain, and the rest Syrah from the Hudson Vineyard in southern Napa, the tightly knit 2007 Tor Cuvee Susan possesses a deep, blue/purple color as well as notes of roasted meats, herbs, lavender, pepper, creme de cassis, and blackberries. Rich, full-bodied, structured, and slightly foreboding, it needs another year or two of bottle age, and should evolve for a decade or more. Because the majority of Tor Kenward’s wines are from Napa, I have also included his Chardonnay from Sonoma as well as his Grenache/Syrah blend from Bennett Valley. Tor Kenward, the long-time PR professional at the Beringer group, continues to fine tune his craft. He has been a collector and connoisseur of European wines for as long as I have known him (over 25 years ), and I am sure that gives him a perspective in terms of searching out top sites to make wines that combine the complexity of European wines with the beautiful fruit, texture, and purity that the viticultural Shangri-La of California provides. Tor produces three Cabernet Sauvignons, and tasting through the 2007s was a treat. He is obsessed with fully mature polyphenols (sweet tannins), and he seems to have achieved that in each of these three beauties. Tel. (707) 963-3100; Fax (707) 963-3114