2006 Blankiet Estate, Paradise Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

RP95+ "The real star is the nearly 1,000 case-lot of the Paradise Hills Vineyard Proprietary Red. The dense, opaque plum/purple-hued 2006 Paradise Hills Vineyard exhibits a beautiful, sweet bouquet of melted chocolate, burning embers, blackberries, mocha, espresso roast, cassis, and cherries as well as stunning concentration, and formidable, but velvety, beautifully integrated tannins. This wine comes across like a hypothetical blend of California, a great Graves, and something from further north in Bordeaux, such as a Pauillac. Full-bodied and powerful, it requires 2-4 years of cellaring, and should evolve for 20-25+ years." RP Dec 2009

VM95 "Dark ruby-red. Vibrant, complex nose combines currant, minerals, tobacco and brown spices. Wonderfully sweet, lush and fine-grained, with its silky texture enlivened by compelling inner-mouth perfume. Intriguing mineral and licorice notes add to the complexity of this very deep, layered wine, which finishes with spreading tannins and outstanding length. Large-scaled and rather powerful but with a lovely light touch. A superb 2006." ST for VM May 2009

Robert Parker writes, "This sensational estate is situated on the hillside behind Dominus’ large Napanook Vineyard. Created by Claude and Katherine Blankiet in the mid-nineties, I have liked these wines since their debut vintage. They now have 16 acres under vine, and the winemaking is overseen by super-star viticulturists David Abreu and Martha McClellan-Levy as well as consultant Michel Rolland. Their secondary label, called Rive Droite, uses a large portion of their Merlot crop, and the flagship offering, the Paradise Hills Vineyard Proprietary Red is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon." Published: Dec 21, 2009