Good enough to be a reserve, this includes just 4% Merlot and the rest is all Cabernet. Smooth and supple, with lovely toasty aromatics, it layers rich cherry fruit against the lush barrel spices. A companionable wine, already drinking beautifully, but perfectly fine to cellar for up to a decade. — (11/1/2012) —95

Abeja’s John Abbott belongs on anyone’s short list of Washington’s most talented winemakers. This supple, dense Cabernet is restrained for the vintage, but lacks nothing in terms of power, muscle or complexity. Tar, smoke and gravel run right down its spine; tannins are substantial. But everything about the wine says class, and its compact confidence rewards patient tasters with layers of ripe, varietal flavor, perfectly matched to the oak. ——P.G.(6/1/2006)—— 94