2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

Bright, deep ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines crushed cassis, blueberry, licorice and tar. Very intense and cool, with a medicinal cast but terrific intensity to the extremely primary dark flavors of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and graphite. In a very powerful style, showing tougher tannins today than the cabernet from Howell Mountain. This needs at least six or seven years of bottle aging but should go on for at least a couple decades. The crop level was down "only" 15% here in 2008, noted winemaker Sean Capiaux, as there was much less spring frost than on Howell Mountain

Absolutely prodigious is the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (500 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon off a site west of Oakville). Dense bluish purple to the rim, with a sensational nose of forest, flowers, graphite, and blueberry liqueur intermixed with creme de cassis and burning embers/charcoal, this wine has fabulous fruit, a remarkably full-bodied texture, great purity, and a finish that goes on for close to 50+ seconds. This is an awesome 2008 and one of the great wines of the vintage. It should drink well for 25+ years. This tiny estate has turned out a beautiful Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and a phenomenal Mt. Veeder that I certainly underrated when I tasted it from barrel last year. Tel. (707) 965-2898; Fax (707) 965-3010

Good medium ruby, not quite as purple as the Howell Mountain example. Crushed blueberry and graphite aromas are complicated by saline and medicinal nuances. More brutal and less pliant than the HM example, with the crushed berry character following through in the mouth. This seems quite youthfully unformed and restrained today but shows more lift than the 2007. The tannins are substantial and yet the 2007 is considerably more musclebound today.