2006 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Mast Vineyard

(15.2% alcohol) Bright ruby. Currant, mocha and licorice on the nose, with strong rocky, smoky soil tones adding appeal. Dense and sweet but with lovely harmonious acidity lifting the black raspberry and mineral flavors. Very chewy, layered cabernet with terrific persistence. This has a moderate pH by Napa Valley cabernet standards ("3.7, max," says Kenward), and thus it's quite firm for all its richness.

The 2006 Tor Cabernet Sauvignon Mast Vineyard is a Margaux-like effort displaying a huge fragrance of spring flowers, black currants, plums, and a hint of spice. Elegant, full-bodied flavors are intense and substantial, but neither heavy nor overweight. This beautiful, pure, well-balanced Cabernet should drink well for 20+ years. Good things happen to good people, and Tor Kenward is not only one of the leaders in the wine business (he’s a longtime executive at Beringer), but he is also a true wine connoisseur, humanitarian, and a burgeoning high quality wine producer. His concentration on Burgundian-styled, single vineyard Chardonnays, or single clones, some impressive Syrahs under the Tor Rock label, and some fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon under the Tor label, has gotten him off to a rocket ship-like launch. Production remains under 3,000 cases (and it is not likely to increase), but this winery is well-worth following as the wines are hand-crafted and bursting with personality. Tor Kenward was a Rhone wine enthusiast long before those wines became fashionable. In an attempt to emulate some of the top-notch French Rhones, he has sought out cool vineyard sites in the Bennett Valley and southern Napa. Tor Kenward and his winemaker, Jeff Ames, are equally attuned to Cabernet Sauvignon. They produce three cuvees, including a brilliant effort from Yountville’s Mast Vineyard, a more mineral-dominated, tannic wine from the Cimarossa Vineyard on Howell Mountain, and an offering from one of the classic sites for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville’s Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. Tel. (707) 963-3100; Fax (707) 963-3114

Saturated ruby. Youthfully medicinal aromas of cassis, licorice and graphite. Superconcentrated, fruit-driven flavors of black raspberry, cassis and menthol. A big, powerfully structured wine with sound acidity and a saline nuance. Finishes with strong tannins and a medicinal reserve. From a vineyard to the south of Dominus.