Virtually all of the 4,000+ cases of Rancho Sisquoc's wines are sold via a mailing list or directly from the winery, so subscribers are not likely to see much of this producer's wines on retailers' shelves. Such is the case with many of Santa Barbara's highest quality wineries. This vast ranch includes over 200 acres, but most of the grapes are sold to wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Foxen, and Gainey. Rancho Sisquoc's Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vineyards are considered to be among the best in Santa Barbara. All their red wines possess crisp, high natural acidity, dense, almost purple saturated colors, and leafy, black fruit characters. The acidity makes them taste austere and crisp, but there is fine underlying flesh and richness. The 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon-Estate offers a huge, herbaceous, black-cherry, chocolatey, vanillin-scented nose, full-bodied, concentrated flavors that offer power allied with surprising elegance and finesse, crisp acidity, and impressive length. It can be drunk now or cellared for up to a decade. Lamentably, readers will have to get on Rancho Sisquoc's mailing list in order to latch on to a few of these gems. Tel. (805) 934-4332