Our 11th Year !

$350

VM 93 (6/2006): Deep ruby-red. Exotic aromas of black raspberry, mocha and caramel. Sweet, lush flavors of cherry and menthol. Wonderfully pliant and fleshy for a 2003. Finishes firmly tannic and long, with compelling sweetness.

WA 92 (12/2006): The classic, structured 2003 Melbury offers beautiful blueberry, blackberry, and cassis notes interwoven with notions of spring flowers and espresso. This pure, full-bodied, opulent, silky 2003 should age for 10-15 years.

WS 90 (11/2006): Rich and concentrated, with tiers of currant, blackberry and black cherry that run deep and pure, gaining momentum midpalate and ending with a strong, intense, focused finish. Shows a trace of heat, but delivers lots of enticing flavors. Best from 2007 through 2013. 700 cases made.

2004

$395

WS 97 (11/2007): Fresh black cherry, currant and plum aromas are pure and riveting. Firm, rich and polished, with hints of nutmeg, rose petal and wild berry that are deep and complex. Intense, focused and concentrated, this is beautifully balanced, deep and persistent, with ripe, integrated tannins. Drink now through 2018. 573 cases made.

WA 95 (12/2007): Readers looking for a fruit-forward vintage should check out the 2004 Melbury. A sensational wine with an inky bluish/purple color, fabulous blueberry and blackberry fruit with hints of lead pencil, acacia flower, pain grille, and spice, the tannins are supple and the wine exuberant, flamboyant, ripe, rich, and long. This is sensational stuff that can be drunk now or cellared for 20-25 years.

VM 92 (6/2007): Good ruby-red. Black raspberry, mocha and smoky oak on the confectionery nose. Quite sweet in the mouth but youthfully tight today, with red fruit and licorice flavors dominating. This has a rather Graves-like mouthfeel. Here the tannins come across as more obvious and less fine than those of the 2005 example.

2005

$375

WA 94 (12/2008): The 2005 Melbury offers lovely aromas of cedar, creme de cassis, licorice, and smoked/roasted herbs as well as good underlying acidity, full-bodied power, and stunning concentration, but also unmistakable elegance and harmony. While these are all big wines, there is an attractive European tannic profile to the 2005 Melbury. Although accessible now, 3-5 years of bottle age will be beneficial, and it should improve for 20-25 years.

VM 93 (6/2008): Very sexy nose combines black raspberry, graphite, melted tar and smoke, plus a whiff of sweet butter. Lush, fleshy and sweet, with perfectly integrated, ripe acidity framing and lifting the middle palate. As bright as this is, the 2005 vintage has also brought uncommon breadth and sweetness.

WS 90 (10/2008): Well-centered, showing ripe, spicy plum, black cherry and currant flavors, with firm, integrated tannins and good length, tightening up on the finish. To be released spring 2009. Best from 2011 through 2017. 785 cases made.

2003

$375

WA 93 (12/2006): Bond’s new baby, Pluribus, is primarily all Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard planted high on Spring Mountain (at a 900 foot elevation). As one might expect, the 2003 Pluribus exhibits an inky/blue/purple color in addition to a beautiful bouquet of blueberries, violets, and crushed rocks. Pure, rich, and streamlined, with blue and black fruit flavors that linger on the palate, this distinctive red should drink well for 15 or more years.

2003

$395

2004

$375

WS 96 (10/2007): A rich, opulent, fleshy style, brimming with ripe black cherry, wild berry and currant flavors that are supple and well-focused, keeping the fruit well-centered and ending with ripe tannins that have a nice earthy, cedary edge. There's wonderful length on the finish. Best from 2009 through 2018. 630 cases made.

WA 95 (12/2007): The newest wine, Pluribus, will give just about any vineyard on Spring Mountain a run for its money. The 2004 Pluribus has a dense purple color and an elegant, sweet nose of creme de cassis intermixed with some camphor, graphite, and a hint of blueberry (or is it very ripe raspberries?). Quite opulent, full-bodied, but with good underlying acidity, this wine is fresh and remarkably light on its feet for a wine of such enormous intensity and richness. These efforts are all brilliantly executed wines from obviously fabulous sites.

VM 94 (6/2007): Saturated deep ruby. Reticent but pure aromas of black raspberry, cassis, licorice and minerals. A major mouthful of wine but ultimately less dense and sweet than the 2005. Sound acidity gives the fruit a racy quality and imbues the wine with energy. Finishes with huge, broad, chocolatey tannins.

2005

$400

WA 96 (12/2008): The impressive, dense purple-colored 2005 E Pluribus offers up aromas of spring flowers, camphor, incense, crushed rocks, graphite, and blueberry as well as blackberry liqueur. Stylistically, it is closest to the Melbury (even though that vineyard is on the other side of Napa Valley). This beauty should be at its peak between 2011-2030+.

VM 95+ (6/2008): Full, deep ruby. Stunning aromas of black raspberry, licorice and rocky minerality. A wine of Outstanding richness and depth of flavor, with its power leavened by an almost magically creamy, pliant texture. Last year, winemaker Bob Levy told me that he fermented this wine in barrel to build up its middle palate while limiting extraction of tannins, as these vines from halfway up Spring Mountain could normally be expected to yield a very powerful, tannic style of wine. Based on this sample, his approach has worked wonders, as this wine is way suave for a cabernet-based wine from this area. The dark fruit and mineral flavors really spread out to saturate the palate on the extremely long aftertaste. As sexy as this is now, it's likely to evolve positively for a couple of decades.

WS 92 (10/2008): Packs in lots of rich, supple layers of flavor, built around fleshy currant, black cherry, plum and wild berry fruit, shaded by creamy, toasty oak. The vibrancy and concentration give this a long, persistent finish. The tannins have a slight ragged edge. To be released spring 2009. Best from 2010 through 2017. 715 cases made.

2001

$500

WA 100 (6/2011): Utterly perfect, another wine that seems to have taken on a first-growth Pauillac-like character (think Mouton-Rothschild) is the 2001 St. Eden. With a remarkably perfumed nose of crushed rocks, subtle barbecue smoke, and again, cedar wood intermixed with creme de cassis and blackberry, this wine displays a phenomenally concentrated mouthfeel, full-bodied opulence, voluptuous texture, and of this trio, is certainly the closest to its apogee of full maturity. Nevertheless, it will still benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring and keep for an additional 25-30.

VM 94 (6/2004): Full medium ruby. Currant and chocolate liqueur aromas. Superripe and almost painfully concentrated, but more serious and less confectionery today than the young 2002 sample. Slightly medicinal flavor of chocolate liqueur. This may be starting to shut down in bottle, but its uncanny concentration, noble tannins and great persistence suggest it will develop in bottle for at least 15 years.

WS 93 (10/2013): Rich and powerful, with torque to the ripe dark berry, chocolate, subtle earth and cedar flavors. A muscular yet graceful style that holds its own and promises a nice life ahead. Best from 2015 through 2025. 530 cases made.

2002

$475

WA 96 (12/2005): The inky/purple-tinged 2002 St. Eden Proprietary Red reveals notes of unlit cigar tobacco, beautiful blueberry and creme de cassis fruit, and notions of licorice, spice box, and incense. It is full-bodied, with wonderful sweetness and plumpness as well as a meaty richness that cascades over the palate with a seamlessness that must be tasted to be believed.

VM 95 (6/2005): Good medium ruby. Aromas of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, with a note of coffee; just this side of roasted. Extremely dense and sweet, combining great sucrosity with very firm but fine tannins. Superripe but balanced at an absurdly high level of richness. Complicating notes of redcurrant, tobacco, menthol, stone and leather. Finishes very long. Still a bit youthfully subdued, but extremely long on the aftertaste.

2003

$350

VM 94 (11/2017): There is plenty to admire in the 2003 St. Eden. Sensual and voluptuous in the glass, the 2003 possesses striking intensity and terrific overall balance. Mocha, smoke, tobacco, black stone fruit and leather notes are pushed forward in this sumptuous, pliant Cabernet Sauvignon. Although not especially complex, the 2003 is quite tasty. Antonio Galloni.

WA 94 (6/2013): The 2003 St. Eden comes from an 11-acre rocky knoll on the northern side of the Oakville Crossroad that consists of pure red soils. It is the most evolved and forward of these 2003 Bond wines. Lots of cedar, chocolate, roasted herb, lavender and spice box notes emerge from this complex Pauillac-like effort. Medium to full-bodied and fully mature, it is more evolved than its siblings, revealing sweet tannin as well as a spicy, earthy finish. Owners are advised to drink it over the next decade.

WS 93 (7/2013): A creamy oak overlay softens the tannins in this rich and full-bodied version, with complex anise, mocha, dark berry, subtle spice and roasted coffee notes. Drink now through 2020. 725 cases made.

2004

$395

WA 97 (12/2007): The 2004 St. Eden seems to hit all the sweet spots on my palate. A wine of great complexity, richness, and intensity, with oodles of creme de cassis fruit and plenty of roasted herbs and meatiness, with exceptional power and richness, this wine has fleshed out since I had it last year, and seems to be destined to be one of Bond’s most compelling wines, a full-bodied wine with great purity, richness, and beautifully integrated acidity, wood, and tannin. Give it 1-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25 years.

VM 93 (6/2007): Ruby-red. Flamboyantly ripe aromas of currant, rocks, tobacco and chocolate. Very ripe, lush, broad and sweet, if a bit youthfully sullen. This has very good life for the year if not quite the definition of the 2005. Finishes with substantial tongue-dusting tannins.

WS 93 (11/2007): Superripe yet supple and balanced, with deep, enticing blackberry, ripe plum and wild berry fruit that's rich and concentrated, with a long, persistent finish. The tannins are firm and structured. Best from 2009 through 2015. 600 cases made.

2001

$395

WA 96 (2/2005): The 2001 Vecina reveals powerful espresso, mineral, black currant, and earthy characteristics presented in a full-bodied, Harlan-esque style with tremendous density, brilliant upside potential, and marvelous purity. Don’t touch this beauty for at least five years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.

VM 93 (6/2004): Smoky, brooding aromas of roasted black raspberry, mocha and dark chocolate. Dense and huge but pure, with superb concentration and a rather restrained sweetness. Has the density and structure for extended aging, not to mention powerful, toothcoating tannins. A superb showing.

2002

$400

VM 93+ (6/2005): Good full, bright ruby. Superripe aromas of plum, black raspberry and tobacco; just this side of roasted. Dense, thick and deep, with superb depth of sweet berries complicated by minerals, sweet butter and tobacco. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and excellent length. Comes across as the least refined of these three bottlings in 2002, but boasts compelling depth and richness.

2003

$375

VM 93+ (6/2006): Good medium ruby color. Roasted black fruits and a suggestion of almost port-like ripeness on the nose. Lush, superripe and powerful, with superb density of flavor. With notes ranging from black olive to dark chocolate, this shows a wider range of ripeness than either the highly promising young 2004 or the remarkably lush and sweet 2002 (which I scored 95 on this latest occasion).

WA 93 (12/2006): More difficult to evaluate than its siblings, the 2003 Vecina, which comes from a site near Harlan Estate, is a firm, tannic, backward wine displaying a gravelly, scorched earth, hot rock, black currant, licorice, and herb-scented bouquet. In the mouth, it is tight, rich, and ruggedly constructed with medium to full body as well as a boatload of tannin. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring, and consume it over the following 15.

2004

$375

WA 96 (12/2007): The 2004 Vecina shares an opaque ruby/purple color, smells of wet steel, crushed rocks, spring flowers, forest floor, and plenty of cedar and chocolatey black currant and blackberry notes. A huge, spicy, complex nose is followed by a wine of impressive ripeness, full-bodied power, and a multi-dimensional mouthfeel with huge amounts of glycerin, fruit, and thickness. This is a connoisseur’s treat, and despite the fruit-forward character of the vintage, this wine ideally needs 2-4 years of bottle age and should keep for 30-35+ years.

VM 95 (6/2007): Deep, full ruby. Black raspberry, licorice, roasted tobacco and mocha on the nose. Huge, broad and compellingly deep but not especially sweet or fruity. Surprisingly sappy acidity gives the wine shape and verve. The tannins here seem sweeter than those of the young 2005, and the palate-saturating finish displays great persistence.

WS 88 (11/2007): Ripeness extends to a hint of balsamic and soy, with lifted cherry and blackberry fruit that pushes the envelope. Well-structured and persistent, though the level of ripeness will appeal to some more than others. Drink now through 2013. 627 cases made.

2005

Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

$425

WA 96 (12/2008): The 2005 Vecina is also strutting its stuff. I can’t say it showed better than it did last year, but this wine comes close to perfection for my palate. Made in a Graves-like style, it exhibits scents of roasted herbs, espresso, scorched rocks, and liquid minerals seamlessly integrated into a full-bodied, dense wine offering a cascade of black cherries and black currants. Built for the long haul, this powerful 2005 is soft enough to be drunk early, but it will not hit its stride for at least a decade, and should age for three decades thereafter.

VM 94+ (6/2008): Good full ruby. Wild aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, mocha and violet. Then chewy and brooding in the mouth, with a youthfully medicinal black cherry flavor dominating. Aeration brought some explosive blackberry, mineral and graphite flavors, but today this highly concentrated wine is locked up by its powerful tannins. This one will need a solid decade of cellaring and may ultimately merit a significantly higher score. Last year I compared this wine to a Latour or Leoville-Las Cases, and that's the same impression I got this time around.

WS 94 (10/2008): Intense and racy wild berry and blackberry fruit is flashy, tight, pure, focused and beautifully defined, picking up a nice dusty berry edge, with hints of black licorice, and offering wonderful depth, richness and persistence. To be released spring 2009. Best from 2010 through 2018. 700 cases made.

Ch. Montelena

2002

$139

WA 95 (12/2006): The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a remarkably rich but still backward red. It will benefit from 5-8 more years of cellaring, and should last for three decades. The full-bodied, intense, dense ruby/purple-colored 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals a closed, reticent bouquet of minerals, creme de cassis, and spice. This rich, full-bodied effort should be going strong 20-30 years from now.

VM 93 (6/2005): Good deep ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose combines musky redcurrant and tobacco. Plush, broad and fine-grained; atypically sexy and showy for this wine, in much the same way that Montelena's basic 2002 Napa cabernet is unusually pliant and rich. Finishes with big, dusty, but rather suave tannins. This offers early accessibility but has the material and structure for extended aging. The alcohol here is 14.3%, the highest since the 1978, which was 14.4%.

WS 72 (10/2006): Dark-hued, dense and chewy, with earthy currant, blackberry and wild berry flavors, yet also shows a trace of iodine and lead. The tannins are intense, drying and chalky on the finish. Best of three tastings. 7,400 cases made.

Chimney Rock

1997

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Lightly Bin-Soiled Label; Writing on Label

$75

WS 91 (10/2000): (WS #78 wine of 2000) Rich and layered, with ripe blackberry, cherry and mocha flavors that finish with soft tannins framing mellow herbal and coffee notes. Drink now through 2008. 12,017 cases made.

Fisher

1996

Wedding Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon

$135

WA 95 (1/2000): The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Wedding Vineyard (produced from one-fourth ton of fruit per acre) continues to remind me of a hypothetical La Mission-Haut-Brion made from California's ripe fruit. The roasted tobacco, cedar, scorched earth and creosote nuances are present, in addition to copious blackberry, blueberry, and cassis flavors. This is a terrific, full-flavored, highly-extracted wine with plenty of tannin. However, the tannin is sweet and well-integrated, as is the wine's lusty alcohol (14.1%). This is a profound example of Cabernet Sauvignon that should be accessible in 4-5 years, and last for 25-30.

Harlan Estate

2004

Proprietary Blend

$1,000

WA 98 (4/2014): Another rating identical to that which was given in 2007 (when first tasted from bottle), the 2004 Harlan Estate is performing essentially the way I suggested in 2007 as it is one of the more precocious and accessible of the Harlan Estate wines to date. A great showing at this retrospective, this wine, which seems like a hypothetical blend of a Pauillac, St.-Estephe and Graves, represents around 1,500 cases from 40 acres of beautifully manicured hillside vineyards overlooking Oakville. Still dense purple to the rim, with notes of creme de cassis, charcoal, blackberry and sweet toast, the wine is full-bodied and voluptuously textured with the tannins largely resolved. But the density and richness suggest this wine can go a long, long way, even though the window for drinking it seems open and inviting already. A world-class, first-growth wine if there ever was one from Napa, this is simply an exquisite Harlan Estate that has atypically reached mid to late adolescence at the age of ten. That is great given the fact that these are 30- to 40-year wines – possibly even half-century wines. Drink it over the next 30 years.

WS 98 (7/2010): Starts out closed, but very intense and concentrated, with tight currant, spice, cedar, anise and blackberry flavors. Maintains a long, vibrant finish. Drink now through 2030. 2,126 cases made.

VM 95 (6/2015): (14.5% alcohol): Deep red with ruby tones. Deep, sexy nose conveys a liqueur-like ripeness to the aromas of blackcurrant, dark chocolate, tobacco and warm stones. Plush and incredibly fine-grained, showing compelling thickness and density to the slightly high-toned flavors of black raspberry liqueur and minerals. This very ripe, large-scaled wine saturates the entire palate, finishing with big, broad, lush, chocolatey tannins and Outstanding persistence. This impressive, very powerful wine is great right now but has the stuffing to go on for years. Stephen Tanzer.

Hundred Acre

2005

The Ark Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon

$695

WA 98 (12/2008): The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard (the debut vintage of this cuvee) reveals an inky/blue/purple color as well as a sumptuous nose of loamy soil, licorice, graphite, espresso, sweet blackberries, and forest floor. It is a gorgeously proportioned, full-bodied effort with plenty of minerality as well as definition. Already accessible, this big wine should evolve for two decades.

WS 93 (12/2008): Graceful, ripe and fleshy, with supple plum, blackberry, black cherry and wild berry fruit that reminds me of a berry pie. Unfolds to reveal subtle spicy, cedary oak flavors, and the finish is long and luxurious, with layers of berry flavors. Best from 2010 through 2017. 700 cases made.

VM 93 (6/2008): Bright, full ruby. Enticing aromas of black raspberry, licorice and melted chocolate. Sweet, lush and superripe; in fact, this is downright massive, with an almost porty, lower-toned quality perked up by complex mineral and red licorice elements. Wonderfully fat, sweet wine with extravagant chocolate, mocha and nutty oak tones. Finishes with rich, broad tannins and a wave of chocolatey dark fruits. This is the first release from Jayson Woodbridge's home vineyard, which features nine separate blocks of vines and six clones, and which was picked in multiple passes and fermented in 500-liter puncheons.

Jericho Canyon

2002

Proprietary Blend

Lightly Bin-Soiled Label; Lightly Scuffed Label

$50

WA 91 (6/2012): Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this fully mature 2002 combines elegance with exuberance, rich cassis fruit, a beautiful textural profile, sweet tannins and a soft, opulent personality. Enjoy this outstanding effort over the next 5-6 years.

Paul Hobbs

1999

Beckstoffer Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon

$195

WS 93 (11/2002): Smooth, ripe and seductive, with wonderful purity of fruit centered around ripe plum, black cherry, blackberry and currant. Gains points for its supple texture, elegance and nuance, with a long, measured aftertaste that picks up anise and mineral flavors. Tannins are ripe and very well-integrated, with some heat on the finish. Best from 2004 through 2012. 841 cases made.

WA 92 (8/2002): The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard is profound and complex. It boasts cedar, black currant, and toast characteristics as well as great richness, full body, superb purity, layers of fruit, and high tannin. There are 312 cases of this superb 1999. However, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016.

Bond Estates (Harlan)

2001

$415

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2002