1994 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

I have been a fan of this winery's Pinot Noir, but I have not seen the newest offerings. However, I do have enthusiastic tasting notes on Stonestreet's other red wines. The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be even more intense and powerful than the 1993, with an opaque purple color, and gobs of lavishly oaked, smoky, cassis fruit intertwined with aromas of roasted herbs and high quality toasty oak. This powerful Cabernet reveals plenty of tannin, low acidity, and outstanding concentration and purity. This large-scaled, remarkably well-balanced wine should drink well young yet last for two decades. The three vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon from Stonestreet's Estate vineyard in Alexander Valley also reveal progressively more intense personalities. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 20 months in oak barrels, of which 40%-50% are new, all three wines are exceptional. The wines, which are fined with egg whites, are never filtered. Stonestreet is a 40,000 case production winery that is part of the Kendall-Jackson umbrella organization known as Artisans and Estates. The wines to date have been impressive, and as the tasting notes in this article exhibit, upcoming releases are equally convincing. This winery has done an excellent job with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and their proprietary red wine called Legacy. All of Stonestreet's 90 acres of vineyards are located in the Alexander Valley. The property, purchased by Jess Jackson in 1989, seems to have immense potential, as evidenced by the following wines, all of which were made by the talented Steve Test. One has to admire Test's simplistic goals of producing wines that possess "richness, depth, balance, power, suppleness, and delicacy." This winery is doing everything right, making it one of the superstar producers in the Jess Jackson-owned group of small estate wineries collectively known as Artisans and Estates. Tel. (707) 263-9333; fax (707) 263-6817 (Kendall-Jackson)