The 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers a beautiful expression of Cabernet from Stag's Leap. If I were teaching a wine class and wanted a wine to demonstrate the finesse and Margaux-like elegance of Stag's Leap, it would be this offering. Nothing is out of place in this dark ruby/purple-colored wine. It offers polite but authoritative notes of black currants, flowers, minerals, and spice. The wine is rich yet deftly balanced, with the acidity, tannin, and alcohol well-integrated. The finish is pure and long with no hard edges. Drink this beauty now, but it promises to evolve effortlessly over the next 12-20 years. Tel. (707) 257-2641; Fax (707) 257-2036

Quite black, with an espresso-like streak from start to finish. The plum and earth aromas and flavors are wrapped in a high toast envelope here. So dark it’s almost hard to read, and at times it seems a bit heavy; but in the end it is likable, with burnt sugar and creme brulee on the finish. Drink from 2004 until 2012.——W.E.(11/1/2000)—— 88