BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

fruit. It offers waves of cherries, blackberries,
plums, cola, currants and licorice, and turns very
spicy on the finish. Feels good and softly tannic
and interesting in the mouth, with a fine bite of
acidity. Seems best now and over the next 5–6
years. —S.H.
89
Watkins Family 2007 Nuns Cliff
Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma
Valley); $38. Tastes a bit jammy sweet and
direct now, with strong flavors of blackberries,
cherries and raspberries. Seems to need a year or
three in the cellar to let everything soften and
integrate. But it’s not a 20-year wine. Cellar
Selection. —S.H.
88
Bugay 2007 Incline One-Nine
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sonoma County); $90. This is a very fruity
Cabernet in which blackberries, black cherries,
currants, licorice and cola star, along with oak
influences. It’s bone dry, and the tannins are thick
and firm, but finely ground. Jammy and immature,
the wine wants time in the cellar. Hold until
after 2013 and see what happens. Cellar Selection.
—S.H.
88
Chateau St. Jean 2006 Eighty-Five
Fifty-Five (Sonoma County); $60.
A Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend with 4%
Syrah, this is an exuberantly fruity wine. It offers
plenty of cherry, berry, licorice, cola and bacon
flavors, with firm tannins. Feels a bit sharp
toward the finish, but barbecue will balance it
out. Now–2013. —S.H.
88
Etude 2007 GBR (Carneros); $60.
This is a dry, tannic and extracted young
red wine. Made mainly from Merlot, with 15%
Malbec, it has blackberry, black currant and dark
chocolate flavors. Feels fancy in the mouth, and
might pick up some bottle complexity over the
next 3–4 years. —S.H.
88
Schug 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sonoma Valley); $28. Here’s a solid,
restaurant-style Cabernet that’s dry and balanced
enough to co-star with your food, rather than
dominate it. It’s a subdued wine, but quite elegant,
with complex flavors of black cherries, currants,
licorice and cedar wood. Drink now. —S.H.
88
Simi 2007 Landslide Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander
Valley); $35. This is a good, full-bodied, dry
Cabernet that delivers with plenty of varietal per-
sonality. Shows very ripe, concentrated blackberry,
cherry and currant flavors, with plenty of
sweet oak, and is tannic enough to develop over
the next 4–6 years. Easy to find, with 12,000 cases
produced. —S.H.
88
Titus 2007 Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon (Napa Valley); $60. The
80% new oak on this wine really sticks out, giving
toasty, caramelized and vanilla bean notes. That
makes the underlying cherry, blackberry and
raspberry fruit, which is superripe, taste jammy,
almost sweet. The result is a little in your face,
but it’s quite a rich wine that might develop some
bottle nuance over the next 4–6 years. —S.H.
87
Bugay 2007 Les Rocheuses
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sonoma County); $90. Oak and superripe
fruit collaborate to make this wine taste like a
fruity granola bar, with raspberries, blackberries,
roasted almonds, caramel and cinnamon spices.
It’s a bit obvious now, too young and fresh for
subtlety, especially at this price. Could develop
nuances over time. Give it 5–6 years and try
again. Cellar Selection. —S.H.
87
Damian Rae 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley); $59. Very for-
ward in jammy fruit, with waves of blackberries,
cherries, raspberries, red currants, mocha and
caramelized new oak. Feels too soft and melted
to do much in the cellar, so drink up. —S.H.
87
Farrier 2007 Presshouse (Alexander
Valley); $30. This Cabernet
Franc-based Bordeaux blend is softly approachable
now for its wealth of black and red cherry,
currant and toasty oak flavors. It has rich tannins
and a long, spicy finish. Should hold in the
bottle and possibly gain momentum for 4–5
years. —S.H.
87
Hanna 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Alexander Valley); $30. Give this
lusty young Cabernet a few years to let the parts
mellow. Right now, it’s tannic and sharp, with
black currant and blackberry jam flavors, and the
oak hasn’t been integrated with the fruit.
2011–2014. —S.H.
87
Hawkes 2006 Red Winery Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon
(Alexander Valley); $60. A bit more direct
than the ’05, which must be due to the so-so vintage.
The wine is soft and immediately appealing
for its red berry pie filling, red currant, baking
spice, green olive tapenade and oak flavors.
Should develop for years in the bottle, without
necessarily gaining additional complexity. —S.H.
87
Honig 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley); $40. A pretty good Cab
that shows plenty of richness. May lack a bit in
nuance, but on the other hand, a little cellaring
could benefit. As currently constructed, it’s rich
and forward in berry-cherry fruit and oak, with
lots of spices, and tastes a bit jammy-sweet.
Honig’s single-vineyard Cabs always seem much
better than their generic Napa Valley. —S.H.
87
Kunde 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sonoma Valley); $17. This is a sound
Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s very dry and quite tannic,
with pure blackberry, black currant and blueberry
flavors, and it finishes with a soft
gentleness. At its best now, and the price is good
for the quality. —S.H.
87
Simi 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Alexander Valley); $24. A dry,
lovely Cabernet for drinking now. Shows the soft
tannins and herbaceousness of Alexander Valley
reds, with cherry, berry, currant and oak flavors.
Earns extra points for the smooth, spicy
finish. —S.H.
87
Sterling 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley); $25. This is a good,
dry, somewhat rugged Cabernet, rich in varietal
blackberry and black currant flavors with a coating
of smoky oak. It’s fully ready to drink now.
Shows real elegance in the refined mouthfeel,
and the spicy finish is a delight. —S.H.
87
Terlato 2007 Cardinals’ Peak (Napa
Valley); $48. Delicious, showing the
pure fruit flavors of blackberries, black cherries
and raspberries that taste like they were baked
into a pie, then sprinkled with cinnamon, cocoa
and vanilla dust. Lots of toasty oak, too. Easy to
drink now. —S.H.
87
Terlato 2007 Angels’ Peak (Napa
Valley); $48. Tastes direct and a little
rustic, offering plenty of blackberry, cherry and
black currant fruit that finishes dry. A very good,
rich wine, but somewhat linear now, especially
for the price. —S.H.
87
Vin Roc 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Napa Valley); $90. This expensive
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