The 2007 Block’s Road Cabernet Sauvignon gives a deep garnet color and baked blackberry and creme de cassis notes over Mediterranean herbs, earth, bark, moss and a faint hint of capsicum. Crisp in the mouth with medium-firm fine tannins, this full-bodied Cab is just a little lacking in the mid-palate to deserve a higher score, though finishes long and clean. Drink it now to 2016+. Importer: Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA, www.oldbridgecellars.com

This full-bodied Cabernet is packed with ripe cassis and chocolate aromas and flavors, yet retains a certain charm and elegance that makes it very drinkable now. The finish lingers, marked by tannins that are supremely supple without being soft. Drink now–2015, or perhaps for a few more years after that. ——J.C.(12/31/2010)—— 91