2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

Deep ruby-red. Brooding aromas of blueberry and licorice, plus a whiff of adhesive tape. Tight and brooding, with a youthful toughness and little early give to the black and blue fruit flavors. Boasts real mountain intensity but this austere, tannic, very backward wine will require long aging to become more civilized.

A staggering wine of exceptional concentration, flavor dimension, and texture, the opaque blue/purple-tinged 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder boasts copious notes of smoked meats, subtle barbecue smoke, creme de cassis, charcoal, licorice, and background mountain flora. With terrific intensity as well as full-bodied power, this is a brilliant Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 25-30 years. One of the superstar estates on Howell Mountain, winemaker Sean Capiaux is the force behind these impressive reds. Capiaux also makes his own wines (almost all Pinot Noirs) under the Capiaux Cellars label. Those cuvees will be reviewed in the February, 2010 issue in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino, and Sonoma report. Tel. (707) 965-2898; Fax (707) 965-3010

Deep ruby. Youthfully tight nose of blueberry, crushed stone and new leather, along with a whiff of exotic flowers. The strong leathery character currently suppresses the intense underlying flavors of crushed blueberry and lead pencil. This very backward, youthfully medicinal wine finishes with a powerful spine of rather tough tannins and will require long aging. Today I prefer the balance of the Howell Mountain examples, but this may be going through an awkward stage today.