2007 Sbragia Family Cabernet Sauvignon Wall Vineyard

One of my favorite offerings is the brilliant 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Wall Vineyard. From an 1,800 foot elevation vineyard, it is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. Black raspberry, blueberry, licorice, incense and graphite characteristics are accompanied by an opaque purple color, gorgeous complexity and richness and hints of toasty oak as well as flowers. The wine is generous, savory and expansive, but the wealth of extravagant fruit nearly hides abundant tannin in the finish. This brilliant Cabernet is actually underpriced for its quality. Drink it over the next two decades. Bigger than life veteran winemaker, musician and general bon vivant, Ed Sbragia continues to turn out a bevy of realistically priced wines that offer great value. To add to the excitement, every one of his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons performed better out of bottle than it did from barrel - always a sign of top winemaking and reassuring integrity. However, Sbragia, who may have the Midas touch with red varietals (particularly his beloved Zinfandel as well as Cabernet Sauvignon) also knows a thing or two about Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 2008 is an average quality year for most Zinfandel producers, but Sbragia has transcended the vintage’s challenges. Sbragia is producing five separate Cabernet Sauvignons, and the in-the-bottle notes that follow demonstrate that each of them performed better from the bottle than it did last year from barrel. P.S. I tasted through all the Sbragia 2008 single vineyard Cabernets, including the Wall, Cimarossa, Rancho del Oso, Monte Rosso and the Dry Creek Andolsen vineyard. They all appear to be potentially 90-93 point wines. While they are not as impressive as the 2007s, if they improve as much from barrel to bottle as the 2007s, look for the 2008s to compete with that vintage. Tel. (866) 222-4342

(includes a bit of cabernet franc; from a vineyard planted at 2,000 feet) Good full ruby. Wild, exotic aromas of dark fruits and licorice lifted by violet. Then sweet, tight and powerful, with broad black cherry and cassis flavors enlivened by minerality. The largest-scaled and most powerful of this set of cabernets, but with the stuffing to support its substantial ripe tannins. Ends with a perfumed note of candied violet. "My kind of cabernet," notes Ed Sbragia.