winemaker's notes:
Number 9 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2007!
Polished but assertive, this wine delivers its delicious impact in a velvet glove. The wine’s deep, dark color signals the density of its flavors and opulent texture. In the nose, ripe black fruit aromas merge with hints of cedar, black licorice and a pinch of nutmeg and clove. In the mouth, the wine has a silky entry. Dense, fleshy flavors of blackberry, black plum and cassis envelop the mid-palate, enhanced by elegantly powerful tannins. The rich finish lasts forever. A freshly youthful wine with the confident authority that comes from excellent vineyard sources and superlative winemaking.
86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Deep, dark color signals the wine’s depth of flavor and opulent texture. Aromas of black fruits and hints of cedar, black licorice and spicy nutmeg and clove lead to dense flavors of blackberry and black plum enhanced by elegantly powerful tannins. Polished yet powerful.
"A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which mostly comes from To-Kalon, has a relatively small production in this vintage (7,500 cases). The wine has a dense purple color and a wonderful, sweet, almost St.-Julien like nose of licorice, red and black currants, cedar, and spice. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, but authoritatively flavored, this wine is still young, rich, and very fine."
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
92 Points
"Weaves together a complex array of ripe, rich currant, anise, smoky oak and black cherry. Dense, concentrated and persistent, with great depth and focus, ending with an amazingly long, richly flavored finish. Best from 2008 through 2018."
Wine Spectator
95 Points