The stunning, opaque purple-colored 2007 Hossfeld Coliseum Proprietary Red offers up notes of gun flint, blueberries, blackberries, and subtle toast from French oak, a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin, and a long, heady finish. Enjoy this lovely red over the next 15+ years. Carter Cellars is a relatively new operation (it began in the late 1990s) run by Mark Carter and Nils Venge. The wines are made at Venge’s Saddleback Cellars in Oakville with some assistance from Fred Schrader. They have some interesting vineyard sources, including the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, the Truchard Vineyard in Carneros, the Revilo Vineyard in St. Helena, and the Coliseum Block in Soda Canyon. Tel. (707) 445-0311; Fax (707) 444-8067

Very rich, with tons of toasty oak courtesy of 100% new French, and plenty of fruity berry, cherry and spice flavors. Feels a bit jagged and angular now, but it’s pretty tannic, and could develop in the cellar. No guarantees.——S.H.(7/1/2010)—— 89