The magnificent 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder boasts an extraordinary perfume of lead pencil shavings intermixed with charcoal, blueberries, blackberries, and cassis. This provocative Cabernet possesses the highest tannin level, but also the most concentration, texture, and depth. As it sits in the glass, scents of flowers, espresso roast, and black fruits emerge. A tour de force in Cabernet Sauvignon, it requires 4-5 years of aging, and should last for two decades.When this winery gets everything right, they produce some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons made in northern California. The 1997s were magical, as were the 2001s. The 2002s complete a trilogy of great vintages and potentially long-lived classics of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 100% new French oak, with malolactic in barrel, and no fining or filtration. They are softer, more precocious, and higher in alcohol (15% across the board) than the 2001s.Tel. (800) 600-6899; Fax (800) 600-5895

There’s something almost Zinny about this wine, with its brambly, briary notes of wild blueberries and blackberries and sun-warmed summer bark and dust. It possesses fabulous intensity, but those mountain tannins are palate-numbing, and they shut down the finish. Demands time beyond 2010.——S.H.(5/1/2005)—— 94