2014 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Ethos Reserve

Full ruby-red. Raspberry, blackberry, spicecake and bitter chocolate on the nose. Suave, fine-grained and sweet, showing lovely framing energy to its dark raspberry, licorice and spice flavors. The chocolate note returns on the finish, which features dustier tannins than those of the Artist Series red. A bit more savory and not quite as deep as that wine, showing a slightly medicinal bitter chocolate and licorice quality on the aftertaste. This tightly wound Cabernet calls for cellaring.

One of the gems in the lineup is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Ethos Reserve, which incorporates 11% Merlot and 2% Syrah. It's fresh and elegant, with textbook Cabernet notes of cassis, graphite, crushed violets and spice. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and textured on the palate, it has sweet tannin and nicely integrated acidity. It, too, is going to keep for a decade or more.