The 2003 St. Eden offers full-bodied, sweet cigar tobacco, spice, licorice, and meaty characteristics, good richness and fatness, and huge concentration and intensity. Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, it is a strong candidate for the top wine of the vintage. Already accessible, this beauty should age effortlessly for 15-20 years. Previously recommended: 2002 Matriarch (90), 2002 Melbury (96), 2002 St. Eden (95), 2002 Vecina (95+).Tel. 707.944.9445, Fax. 707.944.9554, Email info@bondestates.com

The 2003 St. Eden comes from an 11-acre rocky knoll on the northern side of the Oakville Crossroad that consists of pure red soils. It is the most evolved and forward of these 2003 Bond wines. Lots of cedar, chocolate, roasted herb, lavender and spice box notes emerge from this complex Pauillac-like effort. Medium to full-bodied and fully mature, it is more evolved than its siblings, revealing sweet tannin as well as a spicy, earthy finish. Owners are advised to drink it over the next decade. The single vineyard wines represent Bill Harlan’s concept of offering single vineyard, micro-climate/terroir-based wines from distinctive sectors of Napa Valley. Tel. (707) 944-1441

Tasted alongside the Melbury, St. Eden is richer, more layered and complex. The jammy cherry and chocolate flavors here possess deeper notes of blue and purple fruits, with a brooding, mulchy depth that grounds the wine. The texture is gorgeous, with perfectly ripe, sweet tannins. Despite the wine’s power, it has an airy, cloud-like quality, surely the mark of a great wine. ——S.H.(2/1/2007)—— 96