The 2008 Chaleur Estate Red is made up of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot predominantly from Red Mountain vineyards. A restrained nose of balsam wood, pencil lead, thyme, sage, black currant, and blackberry leads to a round, rich, succulent offering that has the balance and structure to achieve its 20th birthday in peak form. As good as the wine is, if the nose becomes more expressive with time in the bottle, my score will appear to be stingy. DeLille Cellars and Doyenne are sister labels, the former for Bordeaux-style wines and the latter for Rhone-style wines. They will be reviewed separately.www.delillecellars.com

The 2007 Chaleur Estate is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot sourced from 4 vineyards with 95% of the fruit coming from the Red Mountain AVA. Deep crimson-colored, it offers up an enticing aromatic array of cigar box, Asian spices, mineral, herbs, violets, black currant, and blackberry. Medium to full-bodied, on the palate it is dense, savory, and structured with enough ripe tannin to evolve for another 3-4 years. It has a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2027. www.delillecellars.com