An absolutely brilliant wine is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard, which comes from their five-acre parcel in northeast Napa Valley. Notes of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit interwoven with chocolate, wet stones and smoky barbecue notes are followed by an opulent, full-bodied, gorgeously proportioned and pure wine, with loads of character and richness. It should drink well for up to 20 or more years.

From their Napa Valley Vineyard, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard (a relatively small production of 250-365 cases in most vintages) offers a Mission Haut-Brion-like wet gravelly nose intermixed with blueberry and blackcurrant fruit. It is full-bodied, exhibits impressive ripeness, purity and already a burgeoning complexity. Like most 2012s, it is relatively exuberant and already showing plenty of complexity and potential. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.

Fisher’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard is a beautiful example of this site. Savory, perfumed and structured, the 2011 captures the best qualities of the year. Sage, rosemary, cedar and cloves add complexity to the dark blue/blackish fruit. Graphite, iron and melted road tar develop later, giving the wine much of its depth and gravitas. This is another hugely promising wine. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026. Fisher Vineyards is very much a family affair. Fred and Juelle Fisher founded the winery in 1973 and have since been joined by their three children. Whitney Fisher handles the winemaking duties, her brother Cameron takes care of sales and their brother Rob runs the business as General Manager. The Fishers own two estates. Their Napa Valley property, located in Calistoga, is the source of the flagship Cabernets Coach Insignia and Lamb Vineyard, as well as the Cameron, a young vines bottling. The Spring Mountain estate, which is on the Sonoma side of the appellation, is the source of the Wedding Vineyard and Mountain Estate Vineyard Cabernets, as well as the Chardonnays. Once again, I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted. Fisher Vineyards remains one of California’s undiscovered jewels. Tel. (707) 539-7511

Fisher’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard has turned out even better than I had originally envisioned last year. Plums, menthol, violets, smoke, tar, and melted asphalt all seem to jump from the glass. Vibrant and beautifully articulated, the 2010 is endowed with superb pedigree and class. Today the tannins are a bit firm, but that shouldn’t be an issue in another few years. The 100% new oak barrels are totally integrated. Savory herbs and black olives are some of the notes that add complexity in this expressive, polished Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030. Fisher Vineyards is very much a family affair. Fred and Juelle Fisher founded the winery in 1973 and have since been joined by their three children. Whitney Fisher handles the winemaking duties, her brother Cameron takes care of sales and their brother Rob runs the business as General Manager. The Fishers own two estates. Their Napa Valley property, located in Calistoga, is the source of the flagship Cabernets Coach Insignia and Lamb Vineyard, as well as the Cameron, a young vines bottling. The Spring Mountain estate, which is on the Sonoma side of the appellation, is the source of the Wedding Vineyard and Mountain Estate Vineyard Cabernets, as well as the Chardonnays. Once again, I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted. Fisher Vineyards remains one of California’s undiscovered jewels. Tel. (707) 539-7511

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard possesses gorgeous textural elegance and depth. Black cherries, plush, licorice, spices and flowers blossom with time in the glass as the wine opens up gradually. The 2009 boasts considerable richness and weight, not to mention terrific overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. (Not yet released) Fisher Vineyards is a family affair. The estate is owned by Fred and Juelle Fisher, while their children Whitney, Robert and Cameron all run various parts of the operation. Whitney Fisher heads up winemaking, while Aaron Pott is the consulting winemaker. Over the last few years Fisher has moved to a longer barrel-aging regime for the Chardonnays of 16-17 months, rather than 11 months, which used to be the norm. The malos are often partially blocked and the wines are now aged with no SO2 until bottling. There are three Cabernets from estate-owned vineyards; the Lamb and Coach Insignia vineyards are in Napa Valley, while the Wedding Vineyard is in Sonoma. The Wedding Cabernet Sauvignon typically includes a portion of Cabernet Franc. Tel. (707) 539-7511