2004 Darioush Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

95 points and Three Stars from the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: "Darioush Khaledi has proven to be the master of the rich, fleshy, full-bodied style, and once again, his winery delivers a bottling with a virtually unrivalled combination of intensity, drama and hedonistic pleasure. In its youth, the wine is at once both open and brooding, and its invitingly sensual aromas and flavors, while seeming to ask for early enjoyment, are far from fully developed. One can easily partner this lush wine with juicy filet mignons or a standing rib roast, but putting it in the cellar for half a decade or more seems the better idea." (04/07) The 2004 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Napa Valley vintage; ripe, lush and profoundly concentrated, yet epitomizing the stylistic profile and poise so many of us fans value so highly. Alluring floral and licorice aromatics combine with the sweet scent of crushed blackberries to introduce this seriously sexy wine. Finely-knit tannins support a rich, full-bodied mid-palate of crème de cassis, European dark chocolate, espresso, earth and exotic allspice. Though best decanted in its youth, this sophisticated beauty will age gracefully for the next decade.