Last Tasted 12/91One of the most impressive wines I have ever tasted from this tiny winery in northern Napa Valley, the 1978 Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon reveals an opaque ruby/purple color that is followed by a wine with a stunning bouquet of sweet, jammy, red and black fruits, toasty oak, damp earth, and herbs. Splendidly concentrated and massive on the palate, with gobs of tannin, glycerin, and extract, this phenomenal bottle of California Cabernet is just beginning to exhibit signs of reaching full maturity. Drink it over the next 12-20 years.

Remains a dense, chewy, richly flavored wine, packed with earthy, leathery currant, spice and mineral flavors. Lingers long, with the kind of finish that suggests it could go another three, five, maybe 10 years with ease.--1978 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2008. 503 cases made.