Drive the Oakville Cross Road to the Silverado Trail, then look directly forward and up and you see Tierra Roja, a small four-acre jewel of a hillside vineyard. The vineyard is dotted with big rocks, and the soil is roja (very red). This wine comes from the upper steep terraces of the vineyard, directly below Dalla Valle. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside features red, black and blue fruits with floral and earthy nuances plus pencil shavings and a meaty/savory undercurrent. The palate is full-bodied, firm, grainy and lively with loads of earth and mineral layers. 447 cases produced.- LPB

Most of this wine comes from the Tierra Roja Vineyard, but Tor Kenward was so captivated by a parcel of Cabernet Franc from Beckstoffer's To Kalon site (also in Oakville) that he blended 5% in. The perfumed nose is lean, minty and intense. The attack is light but very concentrated and punchy, with fine acidity enlivening the black fruits. This has the intensity typical of the vintage, but it's elegant too.

From the upper terraces of the Tierra Roja Vineyard, which always ripens earlier, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside also includes 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. This beauty has a more perfumed, classic style that carries ample crème de cassis, graphite, violets, leafy herbs, tobacco, and some savory, herbal, forest floor notes. Medium to full-bodied, silky, pure, and elegant, it’s another seamless wine from this team.

Savory, mint, roasted vanilla and mulled cassis notes roll through in this broad and ripe offering, with a loamy tug through the dark-fruited finish. A textbook Oakville Cabernet with a rock-solid combo of fruit and earth. Best from 2020 through 2028. 175 cases made. — JM