2007 Hestan Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon are more similar than dissimilar, which is somewhat unusual for these two vintages. The fruit is slightly sweeter and riper in the 2007, with perhaps more volume, but both wines possess opaque purple colors as well as considerable levels of tannin, purity, depth, full-bodied power, and lots of blue and black fruits intermixed with licorice, and subtle smoky oak. Both are top-notch efforts that should evolve for 20-25 years. The 2007 gets a slight nod only because the tannins are riper. Hestan Vineyards, which is owned by Stanley and Helen Cheng, encompasses well over 100 acres, of which 42 are under vine. Tel. (707) 551-2872; Fax (707) 431-3882

Saturated medium ruby. Wild, complex nose melds currant, minerals and game. Sweet and sappy, with considerable power and a solid core of acidity. Deeper and chewier than the 2006. If this doesn't show quite the obvious fruit sweetness of the earlier vintage, it's more serious wine, and the tannins are more successfully buffered. As with virtually all of Mark Herold's cabernet-based wines, I can see the evolution of technique between 2006 and 2007.