Laurel Glen Sonoma Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

The 1997 Laurel Glen Sonoma Mountain is a wine of contrasts: massive, but suave; powerful, but balanced; delicious now, but decidedly an ager.

It's dark purple at the rim with a black center and it literally stains the glass for minutes. The aroma is full with warm dark berry fruits and is unusually generous at this stage of development; its background of minerals and spices is typical of the vineyard. Given the broad-shouldered scale of the wine, you might expect a ferocious lashing of tannin and alcohol in the mouth. Au contraire, mes amis. Normally we recommend that Laurel Glen be held for a few years to show its best, but this vintage, amazingly, seems to drink well right now.