Wine Spectator: Approaching perfection. Wonderful perfumed and floral aromas, with rich cassis, blackberry and wild berry fruit scents. On the palate those flavors are intense and vibrant, cr...

Wine Spectator: This is a delicious Syrah, pure, rich, intense and concentrated, with a wonderful core of zesty black cherry, blackberry, wild berry and pretty fresh earth scents. Just when y...

Wine Spectator: Firm and taut, with dusky spice and freshly ground pepper nuances to the dark berry, currant and cherry aromas and flavors, lingering impressively on the chewy finish. Doesn't...

Wine Spectator: Smooth, rich and vibrant, with lively plum and blackberry fruit that's supple and concentrated, finishing with a burst of ripe fruit on the finish. Excellent balance--the tann...

About this Wine: "A bold, ripe, rich and polished Cabernet from an exciting Oakville producer, with layers of earthy currant, spice, mineral, plum and toasty, spicy oak. A wonderfully deliciou...

Wine Spectator: ...ripe plum, blackberry, mineral, slate and cedary oak flavors that are rich and concentrated, with ripe, polished tannins and a long, full-bodied finish that echoes mocha an...

About this Wine: 92.5% Merlot, 7.2% Cabernet Franc, 0.3% Malbec

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: ($100) Saturated medium ruby. Great superripe aromas of blackberry, violet, roast coffee, chicory and minerals. A huge, mouthfilling wine that coats every square millimeter of...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Saturated ruby. Brooding, pure aromas of cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco, smoke and licorice. Conveys a powerful impression of solidity, and yet the very primary flavors of da...

Wine Spectator: Firm and intense, with gripping tannins wrapped around dark berry, black licorice, graphite, cedar and tar. Slow to unfold but does so impressively, gaining strength, depth an...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Highly aromatic nose combines roasted black raspberry, game and beefsteak tomato. Superripe and smooth, with lovely vinosity and subtle notes of tobacco and meat. Finishes wit...

About this Wine: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: ...High in tannin and dense, with oodles of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with tobacco leaf, licorice, and spice box, it is an outrageous Bordeaux on steroids that shou...

About this Wine: ...The Backus vineyard, located across the valley from Harlan Estate, is now farmed biodynamically. The 1999 release was the last vintage entirely from vines planted in 1975; ...

About this Wine: "149 cases made. Last tasted 10-16-04. Most of the fruit was under contract to Duckhorn winery. Because of this commitment, the fruit Hourglass took that year was in close...

Wine Spectator: Seductive spicy blackberry, floral and licorice flavors are simply fantastic in a wine that's rich in flavor yet delicately balanced and elegantly styled. This magnificent you...

Wine Spectator: ...vivid complex aromas, with dense, rich and well-defined fruit flavors... fine tannins and a beautiful core of currant, tar, raspberry, cherry and nutmeg scents...

Wine Spectator: Deftly balanced, with a rich, complex, sophisticated mix of spicy currant, fresh earth, blackberry and anise, it gracefully unfolds to reveal extra flavor dimensions. Deeply c...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2001 Tor Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4 West Block offers a dense ruby/purple color in addition to gorgeous cassis, sweet black cherries, and vanilla notes in an opulent, lico...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: a 60/40 blend of cabernet franc and merlot; this and the Variation One are from Hudson Vineyard fruit) Good saturated ruby-red. Explosive, highly nuanced aromas of currant, dr...