2005 Whitehall Lane Napa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Previously $60)

94 points and one of Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2009: "Made from 100% Cab, this wine pours inky black, and feels softly ripe in the mouth, with pie-filling blackberries, cherries, mocha, plums, tobacco and sweet dusty spices. Shows a tannic astringency that strongly suggests cellaring, although it's flashy now. Best after 2011 and beyond." (05/09) 91 points and two stars from the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: "Sweet and slightly chocolaty in character with a strong streak of vanilla matching its very deep, optimally ripened, black-cherry fruit step for step, this outgoing effort is at once fairly intense and quite easy to access, yet it is built for keeping and holds lots in reserve. It slowly gives ground to youthful, acid-accentuated tannins and winds up a tad on the coarse side, but it looks sure to shine if it is given the four or five years that any good, young Cabernet needs and deserves." (12/08) And, according to Stephen Tanzer: "Full medium ruby. Medicinal aromas of currant, menthol, licorice, tobacco and brown spices. Then fresh and fairly broad in the mouth, with a restrained sweetness to its fine-grained flavors of plum, currant and tobacco. Finishes with dusty tannins and a bit of acidity yet to be absorbed." (12/08) Wine is due the first week of August 2009.