Napa Cabernet is to me big, bold and beautiful.  Sonoma is more refined, less in your face and more about finesse.  Both are delicious, both have a time and a place.  I often think that Napa is synonymous with Cab and Sonoma is relegated to Pinot.  I wonder what gives me those thoughts…..

This wine was good, smooth and silky.  It showed up as a lighter shade of purple in the glass and had a nice bouquet of dark fruits and jam.  On the palate I noted rich plums and berry compote.  Good acidity and fine-grained tannins were also noted and the wine had a good length to it.  It packed an unnoticeable 14.4% alcohol and did not show any heat whatsoever, a deft hand in the cellar.  Later on I got dried figs and blue berry on the finish which was really delicious.  We served this up at a birthday dinner with some grilled meats and Chorizo sausage.  It was a perfect match and I would highly recommend it.  90 points from me and 4 stars for this $44 effort.  It could use some short term cellaring, but is drinking nicely and will do so for another 5 years minimum.  Salut….