The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard (a valley floor site planted on a slight incline north of St. Helena) exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a beautifully sweet nose of creme de cassis, licorice, lead pencil shavings and pen ink. A classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet tannin, full-bodied power and gorgeous purity and intensity, it will benefit from another 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years. This was a brilliant showing from this trilogy of wines from Ann Colgin and her winemaking team of Dr. Alain Raynaud and at the time, Mark Aubert. Kudos to the Colgin team for making three remarkable wines in 2001. P.S. I think the 2007, 2005, 2004 and 2002 Cariads are just as profound! Tel. (707) 963-0999

Bright, full, saturated ruby. Knockout sappy nose of blackberry liqueur, blackcurrant, minerals and licorice. Extremely dense and powerful but more tightly wrapped than the Cariad. Still, this fabulous wine's great richness and depth are already apparent. A huge, superripe cabernet with extraordinary sucrosity. Finishes with big, sweet tannins that coat the front teeth and a burst of chocolatey oak.

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard’s tiny production of 190 cases will not be enough for Cabernet lovers. It boasts an inky/purple color, thrilling concentration, and gorgeously pure aromas of blackberry, creme de cassis, pain grille, white chocolate, and vanilla ice cream. Incredibly long, pure, and dense, but tightly-wound, this is a wine of enormous constitution and wonderfully sweet integrated tannin, yet I got the sense that it was only revealing part of its personality. It needs 7-8 years of bottle age, and should last for 30 years. It is a brilliant effort!