Since Carmenet's first vintage in 1982 their wines have been at least very good, often quite special, with a degree of complexity and elegance that is often missing in many of Sonoma's other Cabernet-based wines. While imbibers wanting a blockbuster heavyweight Cabernet from California might be disappointed with Carmenet, those who prefer deeply aromatic, spicy, perfumed wines with considerable complexity, should find these offerings have considerable merit. The 1990 Estate, produced from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 14% Merlot, displays a big, spicy, oaky, olive and cherry-scented nose, elegant, medium-bodied, rich flavors, a chewy texture, soft tannins, adequate acidity, and a fleshy finish. There is a pronounced leafy (bell pepper?) quality to both of these wines. Both of these wines should be immensely impressive young and easily evolve for more than a decade.

This successful 1988 is made from a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot. The nose offers sweet, smoky aromas of herbs and black-cherry fruit. In the mouth, there is an evolved, cedary, earthy, herbal component, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors, and soft tannins, as well as a heady, spicy finish. Drink this charmer over the next 7-10 years.

The 1986 Reserve, sensational when tasted prior to bottling, tastes like a completely different wine today. Dark ruby-colored, with a kosher pickle barrel-scented nose, this medium-bodied wine possesses harsh tannin and shrill levels of acidity. Rarely in 18 years of tasting barrel and bottled wines have I seen such an appalling discrepancy in my tasting notes. Two bottles from my cellar were identical in their vegetal, high acid profiles. Shame on me, for I gave this wine superlative pre-bottling reviews, and put my money where my mouth was ... I purchased it too!The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.

I remember how impressive Carmenet's 1986 Proprietary Red Wine tasted out of barrel, but this particular bottle, procured directly from the winery, is nearly a failure. It exhibits a mature color with considerable brown and rust in its medium garnet color, deep, woodsy, foresty aromas, lean, frightfully high acids, a hollow middle, and no extract, concentration, or finish. Every time I have re-tasted this wine over recent years it has been worse than the time before. Can it really be this bad? The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.

Although both the regular bottling and the reserve were highly rated from both barrel samples and early bottle tastings, they are not impressive to taste. The regular bottling exhibits a medium ruby color, faint cassis aromas, lean, tart, cranberry-like flavors, high acidity, and a sharp, astringent finish. The sweet fruit and concentration noted in earlier tastings appear to have gone into hiding, or completely disappeared. This wine could be starting to crack up.