The most expensive wine in the entire Kendall-Jackson hierarchy is the 2004 Stature. A proprietary blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, most of this comes from three separate vineyards in Napa Valley. This is a tannic, backward wine that could turn out to be as good as the Napa Mountain, and it is certainly a wine for the long haul. Dark ruby/purple in color, with notes of creosote, graphite, blackberry and cassis with some pain grille notes in the background, this wine has beautiful purity, full-bodied power, high tannin, but is balanced by equally impressive levels of fruit and extract. It definitely needs 5-6 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades. Despite the size of some of the cuvees produced at Kendall-Jackson (2.3 million bottles of the Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay and 300,000 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc), winemaker Randy Ullom is at the top of his game, and of course is given carte blanche authority by the two principals, Barbara Banke and her husband Jess Jackson. There are some terrific values in this portfolio.Tel. (800) 769-3649; Fax (800) 600-5985

Stature is always a Bordeaux blend, but varies in vineyard source each year. This ’04 is soft, utterly delicious and fully drinkable now. It’s rich in black currant, cherry pie filling, plum, anise and spice flavors, generously aged in smoky new oak. Made in the modern style, it will hold effortlessly through 2012, at least.——S.H.(6/1/2009)—— 96