The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyard has a more opaque purple color, and slightly more intense black currant and blackberry fruit intermixed with a subtle touch of oak. More seamless, with riper tannin, and a fleshy, even voluptuous texture, it is a young, still somewhat primary, but overall more impressive, deeper, and broader Cabernet with sweeter tannins than its older sibling. It should drink well for 15-20 years. Mia Klein’s proprietary blends, dedicated to her mother, are all blends of Bordeaux varietals.Tel. (707) 258-8119; Fax (707) 258-8132

The palate can tell a superbly structured Cabernet from a flawed one, and this Cab shows off its pedigreed origins with flash. Great tannins, fine acidity, fully dry, and with a rich veneer of oak, it has perfectly ripened flavors of blackberries, currants, cherries and dark chocolate.——S.H.(9/1/2010)—— 93