Once your eyes glimpse the deep and inky color, they’ll alert your other senses to fasten their seat belts. Big, bold aromas of spice and mocha fill your nose, while intense flavors of plum, blackberry pie, clove and chocolate rock your palate. The tannins are ripe and silky while nice acidity brings everything together the lingering finish.

Deep ruby. Strongly perfumed bouquet offers suave blackberry, mulberry, cedar, rose and minerals. Silky and sweet, with inviting dark berry preserve flavors, gentle tannins and impressive finishing energy. A very pure, palate-coating cabernet with great immediate appeal.

A stunning nose of honey, melted butter and lemongrass, the palate suddenly shows an upsurge in concentration with brilliant harmony and focus. It remains taut and imbued with nervosite: a great skill in such a flamboyant aromatic.

The 2006 Syrah Hilltops Estate exhibits an incredibly fragrant nose of honeysuckle, black cherries, and cassis intermixed with hints of smoke and that underlying floral component. Its provocative character is not dissimilar from a ripe Cote Rotie from the northern Rhone. This creative, individualistic effort should drink nicely for 7-8 years.

Defines elegance and grace. Peach, pear and nectarine give this a complex mix of flavors, with lively acidity, smooth texture, a touch of creamy oak and a long, lingering finish. Drink now through 2012. 2,930 cases made.