From a famous first-growth vineyard, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard merits its renown. This vineyard is now part of the Moon Mountain district, the newest AVA in Sonoma. A brilliant dense purple color offers up notes of creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings and loamy soil, and a full-bodied, brilliantly constructed, multi-layered mouthfeel. This is a voluminous, opulent and seductive-style of Cabernet Sauvignon that is just coming into its own. Drink it over the next decade. The bigger-than-life, formidable, long-time winemaker at Beringer, Ed Sbragia, has his own operation in Sonoma and turns out some of the best wines money can buy. Sbragia has never forgotten that ultimately it is the consumer who makes the market. That consumer has to make a living as well as have discretionary income to buy fine wine and Ed always seems to have realistic, if not humble, prices. His six wines I tasted from 2004 all performed well. Sbragia’s Cabernet Sauvignons are one of his strengths, along with his Zinfandels and Chardonnays. Tel. (707) 473-2992