2007 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Made of equal parts Sonoma and Napa fruit, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon displays a full-bodied richness along with deep, concentrated flavors (chocolate, creme de cassis, espresso and spicy toast). This dense, impressively endowed effort should drink beautifully for a decade. This brilliant estate, whose vineyards straddle the Napa/Sonoma county line at the top of Spring Mountain, continues to turn out a bevy of exciting wines that first made headlines when Bob Foley was the winemaker. The transition from Foley to the current winemaker, Sally Johnson, has gone flawlessly. Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 963-6039

Good ruby-red. Nuanced nose combines currant, blueberry, blackberry and graphite with hints of olive and tobacco. Sweet and penetrating; shows the best fruit intensity of these basic 2007 varietal bottlings. Currant, licorice and mineral flavors are complemented by spicy oak (nearly 60% new) and supported by a firm tannic spine. This, too, needs time. Even the youngest blocks are now 8 to 12 years old, notes winemaker Johnson, "so we're getting better-balanced wines now."