Medium garnet-brick colored, the 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate features notions of cassis, warm blackberries and eucalypt with touches of mocha, smoked meats and sandalwood plus a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich, savory flavors, with a chewy frame and just enough vivacity, finishing long and meaty.

A behemoth Cabernet Sauvignon is the stern, tannic, concentrated 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (13.5% alcohol). Full-bodied, but closed, with gorgeously pure black fruits, powerful, loamy, earthy scents along with fruit and extract, this wine also needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and should easily last through the first 2-3 decades of the next century.(release date 3/00)Tel. (707) 942-5105; Fax (707) 942-4221