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As I reported last year, the 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a spectacular wine from a vintage that has consistently received unfavorable press (particularly from the Wine Spectator). It seems to me that if the 1993 vintage were taken out of the context of the historical succession of outstanding years in the nineties, and put in the eighties, qualitatively, 1993 would tower over the likes of 1987, 1985, or 1984. The Eisele Vineyard 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage. I have tasted it three times out of bottle, once rating it as high as 98, but never less than 96. It is a mind-boggling Cabernet Sauvignon that is remarkably well-balanced for its size and intensity. The color is an opaque purple, and the nose offers up smoky, chocolatey, blackcurrant, licorice, and mineral scents. On the palate, the wine reveals fabulous density, concentration, sweetness of fruit as well as tannin, and a 30-40 second finish. Although there is a high percentage of new oak, this wine has completely soaked it up, a testament to its extract and concentration of fruit. While the wine displays a certain precociousness, unusual for a 1993, there is plenty of tannin lurking in the finish, but it is well-concealed by the wine's exceptional richness. This beauty is destined to age effortlessly for 20-25 years.The Eisele Vineyard has always produced concentrated Cabernet Sauvignons with blackcurrant/cassis personalities intermixed with a mineral component. What the Araujos have been able to achieve is to intensify the fruit character, as well as the wine's purity and definition. That, plus high quality French oak barrels and a natural approach to winemaking has resulted in a succession of extraordinary Cabernets that began in 1991, and shows no signs of abating.Robert Parker | 96 RPRemarkably youthful and vibrant, with spicy currant, plum, black cherry and anise flavors that pick up touches of earth, mocha and cigar box. Enormous complexity, depth and range of flavors. Has hit an ideal drinking plateau now, but could well last another decade. Decant.--1993 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2012. 1,285 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The saturated purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard offers an attractive nose of black fruits intermixed with toast, minerals, subtle tar, and wood smoke. Full-bodied, with impressive purity, a multi-layered mid-palate and finish, it is an expressive, pure, powerful, and large-boned wine.Robert Parker | 94 RPSmooth and polished, with detailed flavors of ripe plum, black cherry, spice and light oak, this pedigreed red turns rich and elegant, with a long, complex aftertaste. Best from 2001 through 2008. 2,305 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep ruby color, darker for its age than the '97. Slightly roasted aromas of black fruits, toffee, leather, tobacco, mocha and dark chocolate; exhilarating suggestion of crystallized berries. Lush and velvety in the mouth; already displays wonderful sweetness and layered texture. Very strong back end features chewy, ripe tannins. A very successful '96, showing beautifully today.Vinous Media | 93 VM

A compelling example of this noble terroir in the northeastern sector of Napa Valley, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard still has a dense purple color and possesses a seamless personality with spectacular notes of licorice, incense, black raspberries, black currants, crushed rock, and spring flowers. Stunningly full-bodied, multi-layered, with great purity and expression, this fabulous wine is still youthful but very accessible, as the tannins are velvety and well-integrated. This wine will keep aging beautifully for a minimum of another quarter century. Bravo!Robert Parker | 99 RP(contains 4% cabernet franc) Ruby-red. Warm and inviting aromas of plum, mocha, tobacco, smoke and spices. Rich, silky and suave, with mellow, claret-like flavors of currant, plum, tobacco and mocha. Pure, layered and stylish wine, finishing with substantial but lush tannins and subtle persistence. One can see the hand of consulting enologist Michel Rolland in this wine.Vinous Media | 94 VMWonderful complexity, depth and finesse, with layers of mocha, espresso, currant, wild berry and vanilla bean flavors that are sharply focused, finishing with tight yet supple tannins and a long, rich aftertaste with layers of complexity. Best from 2005 through 2012. 1,600 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard is medium to deep garnet colored with Black Forest cake, plums preserves and crème de cassis bursting forth from the glass with hints of blueberry compote, hoisin, espresso and star anise with wafts of potpourri and oolong tea. The palate is full-bodied, rich and beautifully plush, with tons of spicy fireworks lifting the sexy black fruit, finishing with amazing length and depth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RP(15.9% alcohol): Bright red-ruby. Very ripe aromas of chocolate, saddle leather, cigar tobacco, earth, truffle and tomato. Fat and warm but with a solid mineral underpinning to the flavors of plum, mocha and spices. Large-scaled, plush and seamless but not heavy, this deep wine finishes with substantial dusty tannins. For all its ripeness, there’s sound acidity here. Still, this huge wine would be best paired with winter fare. The brooding finish features lingering notes of cherry and cooked meat and building tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VMA deliciously complex, enticing style, with layers of creamy currant, mocha, black cherry and blackberry fruit that glides across the palate. Deeply concentrated, it finishes with a wonderful aftertaste that pulls all the flavors together in a neatly tied package. Drink now through 2012. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,100 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Another extraordinary wine is the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard from Howell Mountain. Woodbridge has always been extraordinarily high on this vineyard. The 2005 Ark, which The Wine Advocate also presented in London at our Master Class (and it blew many a British taster away) is incredibly youthful and tastes more like it’s two to three years old rather than ten. It has an extraordinary nose of blueberry, mulberry and blackberry fruit mixed with acacia floral notes, lead pencil shavings (seen to be often a characteristic of Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons) and a full-bodied, multilayered mouthfeel with no sense of heaviness. The fresh acids, the ripe, well-integrated tannin, and stunning concentration are just magnificent. The scary thing about the 2005 Ark Vineyard is that it tastes as if it still has a ways to go – and could even get better! Drink it over the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 100 RP(bottled in January; 15.2% alcohol) Bright, full ruby. Enticing aromas of black raspberry, licorice and melted chocolate. Sweet, lush and superripe; in fact, this is downright massive, with an almost porty, lower-toned quality perked up by complex mineral and red licorice elements. Wonderfully fat, sweet wine with extravagant chocolate, mocha and nutty oak tones. Finishes with rich, broad tannins and a wave of chocolatey dark fruits. This is the first release from Jayson Woodbridge's home vineyard, which features nine separate blocks of vines and six clones, and which was picked in multiple passes and fermented in 500-liter puncheons.Vinous Media | 93 VMGraceful, ripe and fleshy, with supple plum, blackberry, black cherry and wild berry fruit that reminds me of a berry pie. Unfolds to reveal subtle spicy, cedary oak flavors, and the finish is long and luxurious, with layers of berry flavors. Best from 2010 through 2017. 700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Potentially a candidate for perfection, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is the finest Bryant Family wine since the aforementioned 1997. Striking aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, flowers, smoke, truffles, and sweet berries lead to a wine with profound concentration, a silky, layered mouthfeel, perfect integration of tannin and wood, and remarkable depth, intensity, and balance. The finish lasts nearly a minute. This stunning Cabernet should age nicely for 20-30 years.Robert Parker | 98 RPA very opulent, yet fresh nose. Perfumed with fresh mushrooms, currants, and blackberries. Full bodied with an amazing density of fruit, and ripe velvety tannins. So big and compacted, with a superb structure. Very 2006 in style but with much more intensity. The fruit amazing and intense. Leave this for another five or six years. 900 cases. Pull the cork after 2016. 15+25+24+34. Find the wineJames Suckling | 98 JSAt points rustic and rough-hewn, but also enormously complex and layered, with dense, elegant herb, olive, cedar, blackberry and wild berry fruit that is full-blown and tightly focused, rich and layered, gaining velocity on the finish while retaining a sense of wildness. Best from 2012 through 2024. 850 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(14.9%): Healthy ruby-red. Wild plum, dark berries, musky espresso, mocha and graphite on the varietally expressive nose. Shows wonderful mineral verve but this utterly seamless wine still conveys a musky suggestion of reduction. It’s also more red than black fruit in style and shows its site more than the vintage character. Really lovely inner-mouth aromatic perfume here. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and lovely slowly building lift. This wine blew away many of the portier, clunkier examples in my 2007 group tastings but it may need earlier drinking than some vintages of Bryant. The silky, seamless finish features a light touch and terrific spice and mocha lift.Vinous Media | 95 VM

A profound wine from a superb Napa vintage for Bordeaux varietals, the 2007’s nose may cause one to overdose on blue, black and red berry fruit. The extraordinary intensity, purity and depth in this rich, flamboyant, exuberant wine are mindboggling. This bigger-than-life Cabernet Sauvignon appears set for 20-30 years of aging. It can be drunk now, but because of its sweet, velvety tannins, it will still be offering sensational drinking in 2040.Robert Parker | 100 RPFull ruby-red. Multifaceted aromas of currant, iron, licorice, tobacco, dried herbs and minerals. The youthful palate boasts outstanding depth and clarity of dark fruit flavors, offering an uncanny combination of powerful structure and finesse. Explosive on the back end, finishing with outstanding palate-saturating breadth and extremely fine-grained tannins. I could see this wine enjoying 25 years of development in bottle, but it should really be forgotten for at least the next 5 or 6. Owner/winemaker Jayson Woodbridge told me this is the best wine he has made to date.Vinous Media | 96 VMRobust, intense and fleshy, offering a full-bodied mix of ripe cherry, plum, wild berry and raspberry fruit that’s pure, rich and layered. Full-bodied, elegant and refined, ending with a subtle medley of ripe berry flavors. Best from 2012 through 2020. 600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time has a medium garnet color and sings of Indian spices, baked plums and crème de cassis with forest floor, black truffles and iron ore accents plus a waft of potpourri. The full-bodied palate delivers a firm yet plushly textured foundation to support the generous black and blue fruit preserves flavors with bags of earthy nuances and a very long finish. The sensuous mouthfeel on this wine, in particular, is to be commended!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time is gorgeous. The personality of the vintage is very well suited to the extended time in barrel (40-50 months) Woodbridge gives this wine. All the elements are in the right place. Rich, dark and sumptuous, the 2007 is totally seamless on the palate, yet at the same time, there is more than enough support from the tannins. This is yet another compelling, totally beguiling wine from Jayson Woodbridge.Vinous Media | 96 VM

This is my favourite of the famous Colgin reds in this vintage. It’s incredibly aromatic and perfumed, full- bodied and harmonious. Loads of violet and lavender character. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSDeep red-ruby. Sappy aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, mocha and cracked pepper. Incredibly vivid and high-pitched on the palate, with the vibrant dark berry flavors complicated by orange peel, espresso and pungent minerality. Conveys an impression of great density without weight. Best today on the inexorable, slowly mounting finish, which finishes with substantial but utterly refined tannins and great lift and length. Stunning already but it would be a shame not to allow this beauty to express itself more fully, as it has the size, balance and acidity to support a long and graceful evolution in bottle. I underrated this wine in the early going.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is virtually all Cabernet Sauvignon except for tiny dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It offers up gorgeous aromas of lavender, creme de cassis, violets, toast, incense and camphor. Layered, full-bodied and rich with great purity, focus and symmetry, this stunning effort from one of the tenderloin corridors of Napa Valley can be drunk early on or cellared for another 25-30 years.There are a lot of magnificent estates with Shangri-La-like beauty spread throughout California, and the Colgin property is in the top ten list for spectacular views as well as top quality. Sitting atop Pritchard Hill with stunning views of Lake Hennessey and the surrounding mountains, their IX Estate Vineyard is on a steep, intimidating hillside. It is one of the must-see attractions in Northern California, if not the entire state. The longstanding winemaking team of Ann Colgin, Allison Tauziet and Bordeaux consultant Dr. Alain Raynaud has produced some magnificent wines over the years (the 2001s, 2002s, 2005s, 2007s and 2008s) as well as amazing efforts in 2009, 2010 and 2012. There are three Bordeaux blend offerings, one from their Tychson Hill estate vineyard off Highway 29, north of St. Helena, and the second, the IX Estate blend. The Cariad is fashioned from a blend of grapes purchased from a number of David Abreu-s well-known and highly respected vineyards. There is also a fourth wine, the IX Estate Syrah, which is often a dead-ringer for a great Northern Rhone. In 2010, March and early April were very cold, but normal conditions persisted over the summer with no heat spikes, and September and October were ideally warm. The results include some spectacular wines that are among the finest I have ever tasted from Colgin. The 2011s were the result of a Draconian-like sorting procedure in both the vineyard and the winery, and significant bleeding of the tanks to concentrate the wines. The wines have turned out well, although as I might expect they are lighter and less significant than the other vintages reviewed. 2012 promises to be a spectacular vintage. This was a big as well as ripe crop (without over-ripeness), and the growing conditions were nearly ideal. In the past, I have underrated Colgin-s Syrahs only to have them in blind tastings later and be blown away by just how profound they are. They are completely different from any other California Syrahs and have an affinity to some of the great 100% single vineyard Syrahs from Michel Chapoutier and the up-and-coming firm of Delas.Robert Parker | 96 RPVery firm and tannic, yet with a pleasingly dense and richly flavored core of dark berry, mineral, graphite and licorice. Unfolds slowly, ending with a dash of espresso and mocha. Needs time. Best from 2015 through 2025. 370 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard sports a deep garnet color and rocks up with a ready-to-party nose of blackcurrant cordial, blueberry pie and freshly baked plums. And yet it also possesses a seriously savory undercurrent of tapenade, chargrill, rosemary-roasted lamb and fried Indian spices plus a waft of fragrant earth. The full-bodied palate has an evocative earthiness interlacing the opulent black fruit preserves with firm, velvety shoulders to support all that generous fruit flesh along with seamless freshness, finishing very long and savory. Truly stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPA deliciously pure and juicy style, capturing the currant and blackberry essence of Cabernet in a supple, graceful manner. Texturally harmonious, with just the right amount of sage details and dusty, earth-laced tannins. Ends on a tart note. Drink now through 2027. 1,100 cases made.Wine SpectatorWine Spectator | 93 WS

Medium garnet in color, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard opens with the most beautiful red roses and lilacs scents with red and black cherry compote and hints of cinnamon stick, earth, stewed tea, cigar box and forest floor. The palate is full-bodied, rich and seductive with incredibly perfumed fruit and a satiny texture, finishing very long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP(15.5% alcohol): Bright ruby-red. Black cherry, cassis, raspberry, dark chocolate and licorice pastille on the nose, accented by dusty herbs. Boasts great depth to its intense, dark flavors of black cherry, menthol, dried herbs, flowers and licorice pastille. A classic powerful-yet-elegant wine with great texture and finesse and no undue weight. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins and outstanding length. This will repay patience but even in the early going its suavity of texture gives it great appeal.Vinous Media | 95 VMOffers a complex array of dark berry, mocha, dried herb and toasty, mocha-scented oak, framed by dusty, earth-laced tannins. Ends with a long, full finish that echoes notes of black licorice and dried flowers. Drink now through 2029. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep garnet-purple color. Its nose begins a little reserved, slowly revealing a quiet intensity of freshly crushed blackberries, chocolate-covered cherries, cassis and aniseed with compelling nuances of black tea, cigar box, truffles and charcuterie, plus, with coaxing, gentle wafts of red roses and crushed rocks emerge. The medium to full-bodied palate is simply arresting, offering a a myriad floral and earth sparks amidst a black fruit core and with seamless, firm, very fine-grained tannins. Well-knit freshness brings forth layer after layer of delicate nuances on the very long, mineral-laced finish. The team at Eisele, led by Frédéric Engerer (of Chateau Latour) and beautifully orchestrated by winemaker Hélène Mingot, have knocked it out of the park this vintage with this singular expression that both embraces the site’s heritage and reveals parts unknown.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe aromas are so complex here with blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and orange peel. Juicy and deep with a polished and lush texture. Full-bodied yet supple and harmonious. Poised and extremely long. You really want to drink this now, but be patient. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Eisele Vineyard is simply monumental. Powerful and persistent, the 2016 marries intensity with finesse in the way only a wine from a world-class site can. Everything is just in the right place. Time in the glass brings out stunning richness in every dimension and truly exceptional pedigree. Dramatic and statuesque in its beauty, the 2016 is a towering Cabernet Sauvignon that shows why Eisele Vineyard is one of the world’s great vineyard sites. In a word: epic.Vinous Media | 99 VMThis is 100% Cabernet, from an excellent vintage and it’s a total hit. Extremely young and closed, concentrated cassis, coffee beans and tobacco, pure and beautifully balanced with long drawn out tannins. It just slowly crawls through your mouth, taking its time and as confident as you like. A juicy, delicious Cab - great stuff from winemaker Hélène Mingot. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040.Decanter | 98 DECRipe, broad and fleshy, this lets beautiful plum sauce and blackberry compote notes drape effortlessly over a tobacco- and loam-accented spine. The loamy edge drives through the finish with authority, while the fruit keeps cascading over it, ending very long and very deep. This has a beguiling aspect despite the enormous scale, but it should benefit from cellaring. A wine of the earth, through and through. Best from 2021 through 2035. 1,825 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The very deep, purple-black colored 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It takes a fair amount of swirling to unlock an incredibly intense nose of dark chocolate, warm cassis, baked plums and Morello cherries plus touches of red roses, violets, pencil shavings, cinnamon stick and dusty soil with a hint of iron ore. The full-bodied palate is so exquisitely elegant, charged with electric black and red fruits and a firm frame of super-ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and very perfumed. This is pure energy in a glass!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP(Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, Red, United States) Blackberry, dried-blueberry, bitter-chocolate and some volcanic-ash and burnt-orange aromas. Crushed stone and subtle vanilla notes, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins framing a deep core of dark fruit. Dense, muscular and firmly structured. So long. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with power. Really love the beautiful refinement and integrity to this. Captures the essence of the vintage. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSA benchmark for the vintage, thanks to its gorgeous display of warm cassis, mulled plum and macerated blackberry fruit stitched with subtle loam, juniper and bay leaf accents, in a reserved style. Warm earth tones reverberate through the lengthy finish, dovetailing perfectly with the suave fruit. A real beauty. Best from 2023 through 2040. 1,790 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Aged 48 months in new barrels, never racked, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time is another singular beauty that tops out my scale. Showing a touch more classy oak as well as complex cassis, crème brûlée, new leather, and sweet tobacco, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, seamless, sexy mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. Despite its four years in barrel, it hasn’t lost any sense of freshness and has vibrancy, purity, and structure. It too will evolve for 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Deep Time explodes with savory/meaty notes over a core of plum preserves and cassis with hints of tar, black olives, blackberries, and smoked meats. The full-bodied palate is rich and bright, with amazing tension, minerals, and black fruits, finishing long. There’s loads of tertiary goodness here!The Wine Independent | 99 TWIThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time is a selection of barrels from all three single vineyards, held back for extended maturation. This year, the wine aged in wood for 48 months. Marked by typical cigar box aromas, it also delivers plenty of cherries, vanilla and a hint of cassis. It’s full-bodied, rich and undeniably woody, yet still retains ample freshness and length. It reminds me a bit of some Riojas, for its wood presence and elegance, but with more power and fruit weight, like some of Chris RIngland’s long-aged releases of Barossa Shiraz. Idiosyncratic but delicious, it’s another top-class effort from proprietor Jayson Woodbridge.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

Starting off an incredible lineup of 2018s, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard has a purple/blue hue as well as a powerful bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, smoked tobacco, and new leather, with a kiss of background graphite. Full-bodied, utterly seamless, and flawlessly balanced, it’s impossible to resist today yet will cruise for 20-25 years in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDSituated toward the base of Howell Mountain, too low to be included in that AVA, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard boasts ample complexity in its scents of pine needles, blueberries and cassis, all framed by vanilla and cedar. Did I mention lots of vanilla? It’s a full-bodied wine, silky-plush and almost too easy to drink, with a long, menthol-tinged finish. There’s a certain coolness, an aloofness to this wine, which one might more charitably call restraint but which left this taster only majorly impressed, not completely wowed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to unlock notions of blackcurrant pastilles, warm black plums and mulberries, plus hints of black olives, tilled soil, mossy tree bark and violets with emerging baker’s chocolate and star anise hints. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and with impeccable poise, it has beautifully ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing epically long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPDeep, dark and alluring nose of black fruit, rich cedar and cigar box. Well-built, beautiful and balanced, with deeply concentrated, yet fresh and ripe flavours of blackberry, cassis and fleshy plum, unspooling with lifted acidity, tobacco, wet slate, river stones, dark chocolate and an endless finish. A delicious wine that is framed by very fine and elegant tannins, almost powdery. Finishes with energy and freshness. A joy to drink. Biodynamic. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECGorgeous blackberry and currant aromas with hints of herbs. Wonderfully varietal character. Full-bodied with tannins that frame the wine so nicely and create a long, lightly chewy finish. Fantastic wine. Available in October. Drinkable now, but give it three to four years.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is dazzling. What a wine! Ample and creamy, the 2019 possesses striking resonance to match its elegant, refined personality. A healthy dollop of Franc adds freshness to a core of dark red cherry, red plum, mocha, spice and new leather flavors. There is a level purity here that is just remarkable. This is the first vintage that includes a small portion of wine aged in amphora. I especially admire the aromatic presence and vibrancy in the 2019.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGIncluding 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a hidden gem. While the Maya gets all the attention, the classic Cabernet Sauvignon from this team is insanely good, year-in, year-out. The 2019 sports a dense purple color as well as quintessential Cabernet notes of cassis, black raspberries, flowers, toasted spices, and tobacco leaf. The purity of fruit is incredible, it’s full-bodied, has silky tannins, and flawless balance. It has 30 years of prime drinking ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is very tightly packed, with cassis, bitter plum and loganberry notes compressed along with anise, apple wood, warm humus and sweet tobacco. The earth note echoes nicely through the finish, too. More like an ’18 in profile, with a youthfully backward persona. Cellaring this will yield rewards. Best from 2024 through 2040. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Firmly structured, age-worthy and so focused and deep in black fruit, this is an especially impressive wine from a highly rated year. Aromas of mint, cedar, star anise, charcoal and graphite, then blackberries, dark spices, blueberries and toast. Massive but fine-grained tannins that carry the intensity through to a lingering finish. Full bodied. Best after 2030.James Suckling | 100 JSDarker currants, smoked tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite notes all give the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon a Latour-like stature and regalness, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. One of the more inward and structured examples of this cuvée that I can remember, it’s nevertheless flawlessly balanced, has everything in the right place, and is just a magical Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon that every reader would love to have in their cellar. It should have half a century of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDTasted as the final blend, which was scheduled to be bottled in December 2023, Bryant’s 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon combines mint, sage, crushed stone, pencil shavings, cherries and cassis on the nose. Is it perhaps just a bit more complex than the Bettina? It’s certainly just as powerful and concentrated, being full-bodied and richly tannic but ripe, silky and almost never-ending on the finish. Personal preference will play heavily into which of the two wines you enjoy more, but both are packed with pleasure.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is superb. Vibrant and dynamic in the glass, it captures all the energy of this great Pritchard Hill site. Graphite, pencil shavings, plum, leather, spice and lavender race across the palate. Its build is vertical and explosive, in classic Bryant style. All this needs is time in bottle. The 2021 is seriously impressive.Vinous Media | 97 VM

With a much higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%, with 9% Cabernet Franc), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is less floral than the Maya but more obviously fruity and up front. Bold black cherries and cassis lead the way, framed by gentle oak shadings of cedar and vanilla, backed by deep bass notes of rich loam and hints of tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the tannins are wonderfully judged, supple and velvety in one sip, then fine and silky in the next, while the finish lingers effortlessly, even if it lacks some of the seamless elegance of its sister.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPBlended with 11% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is even more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated than most vintages. This inky purple-hued beauty offers a sensational nose of crème de cassis, liquid violets, flowers, new leather, and graphite that’s to die for. This carries to a massively concentrated, structured, inward Cabernet Sauvignon with building tannins, ample mid-palate depth and flesh, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe core blocks for the Cabernet come from those in front of the house (House Block) and from further down the west-facing hill and a block on the right-hand side of the driveway through the gate, which is typically a later ripening block that imparts good natural acidity, imparting focus and length to the wine. Those blocks are later blended with a barrel selection of the Cabernet Franc blocks from the property. The Cabernet Franc is roughly 30% of the entire vineyard. A towering wine in 2021, the estate’s Flagship is super compact, teeming with concentrated black-toned fruits and perfectly integrated cedarwood spices. The tannins are elliptical with a palate-coating pixelated quality that comes into focus as the wine opens to reveal scented rose petals and black cherry, Damson plums, and tobacco spices. Nuances of crushed cocoa nibs and fragrant graphite minerality add depth and intrigue. Extravagantly long on the finish, revealing even more dried floral notes, herbs, and subtle hints of Indian spices. Don’t even think of opening it until 2025 or 2026, and be sure to enjoy this wine, a bottle a year, at least for the next three decades or more. Maya Dalla Valle, the daughter of founder Naoko Dalla Valle, is the winemaker with Andy Erickson and Michel Rolland consulting, while Edgar Alfaro manages the vineyards.Decanter | 98 DECComposed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is opaque purple-black in color, bursting from the glass with vibrant blackberries, black raspberries, and black cherries scents, followed by suggestions of violets, chocolate box, and cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate is bright and energetic, with fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone supporting the intense black fruit flavors, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. Approachable now, it will benefit greatly from a couple of years in bottle should cellar for 25 years+.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIThis just feels special, as a focused, velvety wave of boysenberry, mulberry and black cherry reduction notes moves through steadily, carried by a graphite spine and laced throughout with iris and ganache accents. A terrific tug of cast iron is buried deeply on the finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. 1,100 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA full-bodied and refined cabernet sauvignon with notes of blackberries, dark plums, warm herbs and spice box. Serious, with fine yet firm tannins. Vivid core of spices on the velvety center-palate. The caressing touch of berries mingles harmoniously with the peppercorns and grilled herbs. Authentic and well-composed, with a focused, long and lively finish. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon offers terrific density and power. Bright red-toned fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and rose petal are beautifully delineated. The 2020 is a bit lighter than usual, and the tannins are incisive, but at the same time all the elements are nicely balanced.Vinous Media | 92 VM

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Jayson Woodbridge is dynamic, complex, and downright pleasure-packed and one of the stars of the show from his lineup of 2021 wines I tasted in September of 2024. It bursts out of the glass with pure ruby fruit, white truffle, white pepper, black cherry liqueur, and spiced plums layered with delicate cedarwood notes. Full-bodied with the purest of raspberry and blackberry fruit, the wine is framed by a foundation of ultrafine-grained tannins and profound depth on the mid-palate. Nuances of cigar box, saddle leather, and vanilla weave a lattice work around the fruit character, complemented by umami-rich saline minerals. Incredibly precise and pure, it’s further enhanced by blood orange acidity and a zesty, smoky quality, finishing with a hint of salted pink Himalayan sea salt. Just 4.8 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon vines are planted on this 18.21-hectare property, located on the steep southeast-facing slopes of Glass Mountain in St. Helena. It was purchased in 1999 and’s also home to Woodbridge’s underground Ring winery and caves.Decanter | 100 DEC

Just 4.8 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted on this 18.21-hectare estate, situated on the steep, southeast-facing slopes of Glass Mountain in St. Helena. Purchased in 1999, the property is also home to Jayson Woodbridge’s striking underground Ring winery and caves. I awarded the 2021 vintage a perfect 100 points, and this 2022 Ark continues that legacy—it’s the most polished of Woodbridge’s single-vineyard Hundred Acre wines from the vintage. If Morgan’s Way is supreme elegance and Few and Far Between is deep, brooding, and muscular, then Ark sits perfectly in between—balanced and impressively saturated. The palate bursts with red-berry fruit, beautifully scented with brown baking spices, black tea, walnut, and a striking ironstone minerality. “This is superpower wine,” Woodbridge asserts as we taste. “This is a Corporate Hostile Takeover—you go in with this wine. If you’re working on the biggest buyout in history, you drink this just before you short the S&P 500… and then you go skiing in Switzerland. You drink this before and after.” (Drink between 2025 - 2040)Decanter Magazine | 100 DECBlack currant, hints of mint, lead pencil and black cherry aromas follow through to a full body with very fine tannins and an endless finish. The texture leaves me breathless and speechless. Incredible length and depth. Hard not to drink now.James Suckling | 100 JSRipe black cherries, cassis, black olive, salted meats, and smoky tobacco all shine in the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark, which is aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. It’s full-bodied, has a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, shows classic Hundred Acre polished tannins, and delivers a great finish. It’s up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, and while it’s beautiful today, it will shine for at least two decades. It’s another gorgeous effort from Woodbridge that’s as good as anything in the vintage. Drink 2025-2045.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JD