~94PTS ROBERT PARKER 2004 Has an inky dark ruby/purple color, a wonderfully sweet nose of espresso roast, fudge, blackberry, and cassis with a hint of incense and smoke. The wine is full-bodied, broadly flavored, opulent, and voluptuous, and that in itself seems to give the wine its current appeal.

Rating

Robert Parker 94 points The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon Vineyard (a 1,730-case cuvee of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc) has an inky dark ruby/purple color, a wonderfully sweet nose of espresso roast, fudge, blackberry, and cassis with a hint of incense and smoke. The wine is full-bodied, broadly flavored, opulent, and voluptuous, and that in itself seems to give the wine its current appeal, although I think this is a candidate for at least two decades of cellaring. Intense, vibrant and focused, with spicy currant and blackberry fruit that’s well-defined, complex and supple-textured. Yet this has the desired backbone of acidity and earthy tannins. Decant. Best from 2008 through 2013. 1,730 cases made. –JL

Wine maker notes

This is a 40-acre vineyard at the base of Mt. St. Helena, northeast of Calistoga. Very steeply terraced, it was planted in 1990 and 1993. The soil is a shallow clay-loam atop white volcanic ash, which provides excellent drainage and limits yields to between 1.4 and 2.7 tons per acre. This is our final vintage from this vineyard, having made all the wine from it since 1998—the first three vintages for Rudd. Encouraged by our success with their grapes, the owners have built a winery and jumped into the wine business feet first, and we wish them luck. At some 1250 cases, this is our smallest blend yet, a function of the decline of the Cabernet Franc and Merlot portions of the vineyard to leaf roll virus. That is also the reason that the blend became, in 2004, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which it remains for 2005 at 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot.