My last bottle.
Wonderful nose of leather, meat, tomato leaf, and plum. Follows through on the palate...with bright acidity, some red plum fruit, tomato leaf again. Only flaw is a hint of a metallic note...other than that this was such a lvoely wine. I need to find more! Arlington Wines in Kensington, CA (next door to Berkeley...awsome small wine shop!) sold the last bottle from the couple of cases they had put aside a decade ago. 2001 Domaine George Rafael Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
A Swiss hotel magnate's project. This wine is in its peak phase right now. Plenty of earth, meat, savory, along with the anise fruit. Medium mouthfeel but the alcohol is a little too obtrusive (14.5%). Plenty of fruit, but the secondary flavors are in full play. A nice wine indeed.
2007 Vellum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.
A small project run by two young partners who are really passionate about their "St. Julien" style wine. Very, very young and primary right now (of course) but this wine's elegance and emphasis on red fruit and light to medium mouthfeel reminds me in some respects of a Corison wine (maybe without the blazing acidity of Cathy's wines). A little simple right now, but still so pretty and elegant it would be interesting to see where this goes.