2011 Seven Stones Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, which includes small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend, is a successful effort in this cool, unusually troublesome vintage for Napa Valley. It displays a dark ruby/purple color as well as notes of red and blackcurrants, licorice, coffee and spice box. Medium-bodied with excellent fruit, purity and ripeness, and no astringency or herbaceousness, it should drink well for 10-12 years.

(from an iron-rich hillside above Meadowood Resort in St. Helena; made by Aaron Pott; blended with 15% cabernet franc): Bright dark red. Plum, nutty oak, rust and tobacco on the nose. Sweet and plush on entry, then tighter in the middle, with substantial toothdusting tannins cutting off the wine's red fruit flavors today. This needs time to unwind.

A beautifully perfumed, expressive wine, 2011 is drop-dead gorgeous. This is an unusually deep, seamless wine for the year. Mocha, tobacco, espresso and licorice wrap around a core of intense fruit in a textured wine loaded with class. The 2011 shows just how well certain hillside sites fared in 2011. Winemaker Aaron Pott used 15% Cabernet Franc in the blend, and the signature savory-floral Franc aromatics are really popping today.