The 2017 Tapteil is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot, and as with all these releases from Ben Smith, there's not much to go around, with just 350 cases produced. Ripe black and blue fruits, sappy herbs, tobacco, violets, and a touch of mountain scrub brush all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It too will have 15+ years of longevity.

(93+ points) Full dark red. A bit less herbal and more bitter-chocolatey on the nose than the Ciel de Cheval, displaying aromas of red- and blackcurrant, strawberry, licorice, tobacco leaf, chimney soot and minerals. Plush, suave and lively on entry, then quite backward in the middle palate, showing currant, dark chocolate, menthol and herb flavors that should deepen with more time in bottle. Really saturates the palate and perfumes the mouth without any impression of weightiness--or easy sweetness. Finishes with substantial broad, dusty but suave tongue-saturating tannins and excellent rising length. More impressive in the early going than the Ciel du Cheval owing to its breadth and depth of texture, but more austere too; in fact, this is bone-dry in an Old World way. -- Stephen Tanzer

Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 43% of this wine, with the rest Cabernet Franc (29%) and Merlot. The aromas pop, with notes of raspberry, flower, fresh herb, black currant and scorched earth. The palate is tightly coiled, packed full of bold tannin and bright acids. It's a classic example of the vintage, region and this producer's style. Best from 2024–2032. SEAN P. SULLIVAN

Not quite half cabernet sauvignon, with cabernet franc and merlot rounding it out, this blend has an old- vine tension propelling turf, plum, plum skin and earth in its initial scents. It’s fairly immense and concentrated, frontloaded with tannins and a bit jittery at present. Cellar. —P.J.C.