A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 22% Malbec, Babich's 2015 The Patriarch offers a full-on nose of chocolate and cedar oak, then backs that with dark cassis and plum fruit, ample weight and richness and a long, velvety finish. More powerful and extracted than the 2015 Irongate blend, it's also less floral and pretty, but it should prove capable of aging through at least 2030.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a bit reticent right now, with notes of plums and blackcurrants, baking spices and scorched earth. Medium bodied, tightly knit and well-structured, the muscular fruit suggests it should be long-lived, while the finish is already impressive.

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 13% Malbec coming from the single Irongate vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels region, the 2010 The Patriarch presents a deep garnet-purple color and aromas of warm plums, fruit cake, blackberry preserves, anise and cedar with touches of dried herbs and pencil lead. Medium bodied, the taut, muscular fruit is well supported by a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and refreshing acid, finishing long. Approachable now, it should drink to 2020+. Imported by Select Fine Wine Brokers, Traverse City, MI.

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 13% Malbec coming from the single Irongate vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels region, the 2010 The Patriarch presents a deep garnet-purple color and aromas of warm plums, fruit cake, blackberry preserves, anise and cedar with touches of dried herbs and pencil lead. Medium bodied, the taut, muscular fruit is well supported by a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and refreshing acid, finishing long. Approachable now, it should drink to 2020+. Imported by Select Fine Wine Brokers, Traverse City, MI.