2006 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard

The sweet tannins and dense ruby/purple hue of the 2006 Tor Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard give way to a wine with more minerality, full-bodied power, and a civilized personality. There is nothing rustic or astringent in this well-made, complex, earthy 2006. It, too, will drink nicely for two decades. Good things happen to good people, and Tor Kenward is not only one of the leaders in the wine business (he’s a longtime executive at Beringer), but he is also a true wine connoisseur, humanitarian, and a burgeoning high quality wine producer. His concentration on Burgundian-styled, single vineyard Chardonnays, or single clones, some impressive Syrahs under the Tor Rock label, and some fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon under the Tor label, has gotten him off to a rocket ship-like launch. Production remains under 3,000 cases (and it is not likely to increase), but this winery is well-worth following as the wines are hand-crafted and bursting with personality. Tor Kenward was a Rhone wine enthusiast long before those wines became fashionable. In an attempt to emulate some of the top-notch French Rhones, he has sought out cool vineyard sites in the Bennett Valley and southern Napa. Tor Kenward and his winemaker, Jeff Ames, are equally attuned to Cabernet Sauvignon. They produce three cuvees, including a brilliant effort from Yountville’s Mast Vineyard, a more mineral-dominated, tannic wine from the Cimarossa Vineyard on Howell Mountain, and an offering from one of the classic sites for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville’s Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. Tel. (707) 963-3100; Fax (707) 963-3114

Good saturated ruby. Pure, soil-driven aromas and flavors of cassis, bitter chocolate, graphite and crushed rock. Large-scaled, broad and sweet; fleshier than the Mast example. As supple as this is, there's also a very firm acid spine. The superb, vibrating finish features huge but ripe tannins and outstanding breadth.