I have never been a fan of Leighton's Cabernet Sauvignons. However, the 1988 Cabernet Sauvignon-Reserve-Sonoma is the best young Cabernet I have tasted from Kalin. It possesses a deep dark, ruby/purple color, sweet, ripe aromas of cassis and herbs, medium to full body, soft tannins, and excellent clarity and definition. Approachable now, it ideally needs 4-5 years of aging. Based on the fact that Kalin's previous Cabernets have evolved far more gracefully than I predicted, this wine should last for 12 -15 or more years.

I am a fan of much of what proprietor Terry Leighton produces. Kalin's superb Sauvignon Blancs, long-lived, complex Chardonnays, and earthy, Cote de Nuits-like Pinot Noirs are complex, distinctive wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon has never been made in a forward, easy to understand and drink style. Given sufficient age, my experience has been that most Kalin Cabernets will provide interesting drinking, so perhaps this 1986 Reserve only needs another 15-20 years of cellaring! The wine's color remains a dense ruby/purple, with no amber or brown hues. The low-keyed nose of cedar, spice, and currants is youthful and restrained. Hard and tannic, with an austerity and toughness that create an unattractive aggressiveness, this wine has a borderline fruit deficiency. For all my reservations, I would not be surprised to see a marked improvement in 15-20 years. That's how much confidence I have in owner/winemaker Terry Leighton. For now, it is an unattractive, spartan-like wine that appears to lack fruit.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.

A light-bodied, eccentric wine, Kalin's 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve displays a pronounced vegetal component that was off-putting. Spicy, with medium body and adequate concentration, its stringbean-like character is not what I look for in a Cabernet Sauvignon.