Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Hillside Reserve opens with notes of minted blackberries, black raspberries and crushed blackcurrants, plus touches of dusty soil, lavender and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, it has a quiet kind of intensity, featuring delicate earth-laced black fruits with a plush texture and seamless freshness, finishing on a mineral note.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Hillside Reserve is deep purple-black in color with notes of warm cassis, red plum compote, redcurrant jelly and wild blueberries with touches of underbrush, garrigue, wild sage and wood smoke. The palate is full-bodied, firm and chewy with mouth-filling black fruits and loads of red berry accents, finishing long and grippy.

The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Hillside Reserve has a crème de cassis, mocha, Indian spice and potpourri nose with a blueberry pie and peppery undercurrent. Medium to full-bodied with chewy tannins and good balance, it is a little clipped and straightforward but nicely done.

Another Flora Springs specialty wine is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Hillside Reserve, which comes from the vineyard above their winery. Abundant cedar wood, graphite, smoky oak, blackcurrants and black cherries soar from the glass of this dense purple-colored wine. There’s plenty of structure, but gorgeous fruit as well as considerable aging potential. This is another long-term prospect to cellar for a minimum of 5-6 years and drink over the following 35-40.

One of their flagship wines is their 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Reserve Rutherford. This is an age-worthy collector’s item, and the 2013 is certainly one of the best they’ve produced to date. Dense ruby/purple with dusty/loamy notes in the background, oodles of red and blackcurrant fruit, there is high-quality toasty oak as a subtle component and a full-bodied richness. There is plenty of tannin still to resolve. The wine has great balance, impressive extract and richness. This is meant for 20-30 years of cellaring, but there’s no reason to defer your gratification given all the fruit it already offers.