A heck-of-a bargain, the cleanly made, fresh 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon California (45,000 cases produced) offers notes of roasted herbs, black currants, cherries, cedarwood and underbrush. It is a spicy, medium-bodied, surprisingly flavorful, long Cabernet to enjoy over the next 3-4 years. Avalon’s wines are well-worth seeking out given their amazingly low prices (I assume they can be found even cheaper at discounters).Tel. (707) 938-9229; Fax (707) 938-9189 (Purple Wine Co.)

Huge blackberry, currant and chocolate flavors in this smooth Cabernet. It’s soft and a little sweet, but gets the job done at a fair price.——S.H.(12/15/2011)—— 85