The impeccably made 2001 Dominus boasts a dense plum/purple color in addition to a fragrant, promising perfume of cocoa, cedar, coffee, roasted herbs, and copious quantities of black fruits. There are 7,000 cases of this 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot blend. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with sweet but noticeable tannin, a layered mid-palate, and a long finish with obvious tannin, it will require 3-4 years of cellaring. It should last for two decades.

As good as the 2001 Napanook is, this wine is more intense. The fruit is lusher, the oak newer, the control more complete, but the kicker is the tannins. They're powerful and dusty, and conceal the flamboyance, for now. Needs time; hold until 2010 and beyond.

Good ruby-red. Superripe aromas of plum, cherry, licorice, mocha, smoke and minerals. At once sweet and gripping, with very intense, nuanced flavors of cherry, plum, currant, tobacco, minerals and currant leaf. Despite the very high pH of 4.01, this shows no shortage of energy in the mouth. A muscular, firmly tannic, serious wine for aging. (A second sample that had been decanted for four hours prior to my visit was sweeter and more seamless, but still showed solid tannic spine.)

Very Bordeaux-like in its presentation, with a mix of cedary oak, ripe currant, fresh clay, earth and rose petal flavors. Rich and supple, it's well-focused and elegantly styled, gaining richness and depth on the finish, where the tannins become more evident. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2006 through 2012. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 7,000 cases made.