The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rancho del Oso Vineyard is a racy, super-ripe wine layered with dark Morello cherries, chocolate, flower, spices and mint. This is a decidedly textured, ravishing wine bursting with sensuality and sheer personality. Sbragia sources this fruit from Betty O’Shaughnessy’s Rancho del Oso vineyard on Howell Mountain. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. This is a terrific set of wines from Ed Sbragia. I was especially impressed with the 2009 Cabernets. The Cabernets are made from mountain vineyards and include a dollop of Cabernet Franc. Readers should note that Sbragia chose not to bottle the 2008 Cabernets, hence the lack of notes for those wines in our database.Tel. (866) 222-4342

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rancho del Oso Vineyard shows the characteristic salinity and tension of Howell Mountain. Dark red cherries, plums, licorice, mint and grilled herbs are all supported by insistent yet polished tannins. This is a highly intriguing wine. The only question is how long it will take to deliver all the promise that is in the glass. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. Ed Sbragia can be counted on for wines that deliver consistently outstanding quality and plenty of personality. His 2009 Cabernets are particularly of note. Sbragia also has a magic touch when it comes to Chardonnay from Gamble Ranch, fruit he has worked with since 1976. Tel. (866) 222-4342

From Howell Mountain, the dense purple-colored 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rancho del Oso (an 1,800 foot elevation vineyard) is composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Sweet blackberry, black cherry, plum, anise and crushed rock aromas jump from the glass of this opaque purple-colored wine. Broad and full-bodied on the palate with hints of white chocolate and subtle oak/toast, it reveals terrific fruit, texture and opulence. Drink it over the next 20-25 years. Bigger than life veteran winemaker, musician and general bon vivant, Ed Sbragia continues to turn out a bevy of realistically priced wines that offer great value. To add to the excitement, every one of his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons performed better out of bottle than it did from barrel - always a sign of top winemaking and reassuring integrity. However, Sbragia, who may have the Midas touch with red varietals (particularly his beloved Zinfandel as well as Cabernet Sauvignon) also knows a thing or two about Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 2008 is an average quality year for most Zinfandel producers, but Sbragia has transcended the vintage’s challenges. Sbragia is producing five separate Cabernet Sauvignons, and the in-the-bottle notes that follow demonstrate that each of them performed better from the bottle than it did last year from barrel. P.S. I tasted through all the Sbragia 2008 single vineyard Cabernets, including the Wall, Cimarossa, Rancho del Oso, Monte Rosso and the Dry Creek Andolsen vineyard. They all appear to be potentially 90-93 point wines. While they are not as impressive as the 2007s, if they improve as much from barrel to bottle as the 2007s, look for the 2008s to compete with that vintage. Tel. (866) 222-4342

From Howell Mountain, the dense purple-colored 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Rancho del Oso (an 1,800 foot elevation vineyard) is composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Sweet blackberry, black cherry, plum, anise and crushed rock aromas jump from the glass of this opaque purple-colored wine. Broad and full-bodied on the palate with hints of white chocolate and subtle oak/toast, it reveals terrific fruit, texture and opulence. Drink it over the next 20-25 years. Bigger than life veteran winemaker, musician and general bon vivant, Ed Sbragia continues to turn out a bevy of realistically priced wines that offer great value. To add to the excitement, every one of his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons performed better out of bottle than it did from barrel - always a sign of top winemaking and reassuring integrity. However, Sbragia, who may have the Midas touch with red varietals (particularly his beloved Zinfandel as well as Cabernet Sauvignon) also knows a thing or two about Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 2008 is an average quality year for most Zinfandel producers, but Sbragia has transcended the vintage’s challenges. Sbragia is producing five separate Cabernet Sauvignons, and the in-the-bottle notes that follow demonstrate that each of them performed better from the bottle than it did last year from barrel.P.S. I tasted through all the Sbragia 2008 single vineyard Cabernets, including the Wall, Cimarossa, Rancho del Oso, Monte Rosso and the Dry Creek Andolsen vineyard. They all appear to be potentially 90-93 point wines. While they are not as impressive as the 2007s, if they improve as much from barrel to bottle as the 2007s, look for the 2008s to compete with that vintage.Tel. (866) 222-4342