2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Deep red-ruby. Perfumed aromas of redcurrant, dried sage and menthol lifted by a pronounced floral quality; reminded me of pinot. Juicy rather than fat, with lovely floral energy giving lift to the middle palate. This very pretty wine is youthfully imploded but not at all hard. The lively, very long finish shows a dusting of sweet tannins. Very elegantly styled. This is the personal project of Celia Welch, who is also responsible for the wines from Scarecrow and Keever Vineyards, among others. According to Welch, the Rutherford component of her cabernet provides the silk and perfume, while the Pritchard Hill fruit supplies the backbone.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon offers plum, cassis, camphor and forest floor notes in its dense purple color. Its elegant, medium to full-bodied flavors display ripe tannins, a good center core of sweet fruit, and a velvety, fleshy finish. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. The best wine I have yet tasted from Corra is their 2007 (rated 95 last year), and both of these vintages are not far off the mark of that beauty. Production is around 400 cases from this boutique operation, with the wine (which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon) coming from three separate locations - Pritchard Hill, Rutherford, and Oakville. Tel. and Fax (707) 963-4523

Good deep ruby. More pungently mineral on the nose than the 2007, with varietally accurate notes of cassis, graphite and licorice. Then plump but sappy in the middle palate, with a brooding quality and excellent energy to the medicinal black fruit and violet flavors. More floral, and darker in its fruit quality, than the 2007. A brisk style, with strong acidity extending the finish. Winemaker Welch told me she's now fine-tuning extraction during the early part of the vinification, fermenting with more whole berries and at a slightly cooler temperature.