The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Sommet comes from well-known Atlas Peak Vineyard at an elevation of 2,100 feet. This is a dense, rich, inky purple-colored wine that offers earthy almost charcoal ember-like notes with plenty of blackberry and cassis fruit. It is youthful and in need of another several years of bottle age as this is a substantial, full-throttle, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon built for long-term cellaring and should easily last a quarter of a century. This is a beauty and should be respected for such. Forget it for another 4-5 years.

Slow to reveal itself, the 2013 Au Sommet Elev 2100 Ft. is a dark, mysterious wine. Black cherry, plum, savory herbs, smoke, cloves, menthol and tobacco flesh out in an ample, broad wine endowed with more than enough depth to support a number of years of fine drinking. Lavender, sage and dark spices add the final shades of nuance. With time in the glass, the 2013 gets better and better, so it should be even more expressive in another few years.