(97 points) So much chocolate and hazelnut character with currant and berry undertones. Full body, dusty tannins and pretty, bright fruit. Tight, tannic tension and vivid, juicy fruit at the end. Drinkable now but better in 2022.

Deep garnet with a touch of purple remaining at the rim, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard gives up intense notes of blueberry pie, black forest cake and licorice with touches of dried lavender, black soil and stewed tea plus wafts of sandalwood and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied and packed with youthful black fruits and earthy layers, it has a fine-grained yet reassuringly firm backbone and lively acid line supporting the generous fruit, finishing long with a mineral suggestion coming through. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown