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From above, this patchwork of vineyards between St. Helena and Calistoaga really resembles a checkerboard. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, barrel fermented, pressed, and then put back in a new barrel to mellow.

This wine demonstrates intrigue from the very start, with dark red and blue fruits on the nose. A medley of mixed berry flavors are complemented by subtle mineral notes.

The 2013 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, shows great intensity, with a slightly more burning ember and scorched earthiness to it, giving it a more Graves-like character compared to the purity of the Tychson Hill.

Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon has a long and mysterious history here in California. It originally arrived in Napa Valley from Mendoza, Argentina in 1964. How it made its way to South America is still unclear, presumably with French winemakers who were leaving Bordeaux in the late 1800s as phylloxera was devastating the region.

This Experiment is an exploration of the age-ability of mountain Merlot. This wine exhibits voluptuous notes of plum, black cherry and cedar which are complemented by notes of violet candies, mulberry, black olive and orange rind.

The 2015 Firebelle is their Merlot-dominated cuvée. Coming from the sandy soils called Bale Loam it’s a blend of 71% Merlot 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. This is a more tightly knit wine with loads of lack fruits mocha and coffee bean some licorice and tar.

From the moment you pull the cork, the density of the wine’s aromas fill the air. The scent comes at you in waves – macerated blackberries from a warm vintage; graphite from the fine gravel and sandy soils the vines are planted in; espresso bean and clove from the new French oak barrels; and, with ample exposure to oxygen the wine begins to reveal its classic Larkmead red fruit aromas.

One-hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Gandona Estate up on Pritchard Hill, aged for 20 months in 73% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is very deep garnet-purple colored with an intense nose of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and chocolate-covered cherries with wafts of red roses, star anise, cloves, cigar box and tilled loam.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is very deep purple-black in color with a crushed plums, blackberries and black cherries nose with hints of dried herbs and smoked meats plus menthol and chocolate box notes. The full-bodied palate is rich, finely textured and fresh, with great purity and length.

Aromas of fresh, French plum with notes of roasted hazelnut are at the core of the bouquet. On the palate, the medium body and soft textures mingle with delicate and refined flavors of dark red fruits and orchard blossoms to offer a seamless finish to this elegant and opulent wine.

The base Cabernet from this terrific estate is the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, which checks in as 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.