Von Strasser Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Rudy von Strasser has become one of the premier cabernet growers in Napa Valley; his 2004s are clear proof of his talent. This wine is a barrel selection of some of the best lots from his estate, including a good dose of petit verdot (15 percent) and a touch of merlot (5 percent). It’s long on pure black currant fruit, succulent as a fresh forest mushroom. And there’s a youthful electricity that drives it, sleek and elegant even if it is far too young to drink — if you want to get the full benefit of the ferrous tannins and the potential complexity they hold. If you like to follow a wine through all the stages of its life, open this now, an hour or two before serving a beef tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms.

Bright ruby-red. Deep aromas of black raspberry, minerals, flowers, cola and spicy oak. Concentrated, bright and sweet, with lovely spicy lift to the flavors of crystallized dark berries and chocolate. Offers impressive balance and enticing sweetness. Finishes broad, ripe, lush and long, with plenty of fine-grained tannins. An excellent example of Diamond Mountain cabernet.

Deep, rich and expansive, with mouthcoating layers of earthy currant, cedar, herb, sage and mineral. A big-shouldered wine that’s firm and tannic, yet has a seam of elegance and finesse. Decant. Drink now through 2013.