A magnificent wine, and quite compelling, is Dave Phinney’s 2013 Proprietary Red Abstract, from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Amador and El Dorado counties. It is largely a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah. Stunningly opaque to the rim, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, strawberry jam, spring flowers, camphor and incense, the wine is full-bodied, unctuously textured and beautifully put together, with no hint of heat or new oak. The wine spent ten months in a combination of 30% new French and the rest neutral oak. The finished alcohol is 15.7%, which is in the blockbuster category, but it’s not the least bit hot – proving again the fallacy of trying to create polemics on high-alcohol wines, when in fact they are quite well-balanced, as this one is. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Bold and loaded with personality. Aromas of wild berry, cracked pepper and licorice lead to rich, complex flavors of black cherry, dark Asian spice and cinnamon. Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah. Drink now through 2023. — T.F.