928. Cakebread Cellars, Dancing Bear Ranch Howell Mountain Napa Valley, 2003

$??; 14.1%

Finally got around to opening the bottle I bought at the estate in 2008. Juliana Laks said this particular single vineyard bottling was her particular favourite to have made, so I took one back. She can rightly be proud of it. Deep garnet, still with some ruby. Dusty touch to gentle coconut oak. Hint of tar, marmite and balsamic. Sweet / smoky drying blackcurrant. Ripe but not overripe. Broadens to gentle oak & mint. Medium-full body. Rich entry, then spicy oak and some mid-palate alcohol spice. Ripe, smoky black fruit, verging on black cherry. Medium, fine tannin and moderate acidity. Fairly long.