From the valley floor, the 2010 St. Eden exhibits copious notes of crème de cassis, loamy, dusty soil undertones, forest floor, toasty oak and plenty of sweet tannin in its full-bodied, massive personality. Again, these wines are not meant for near-term gratification, so 5-6 years of cellaring is warranted. This is another 30-year wine from Bond. To quickly summarize this project that has been remarkably successful since the debut vintage, Bond is the project of the visionary Bill Harlan, the proprietor of Harlan Estate. Along with winemaker Bob Levy and consulting enologist Michel Rolland, he continues to sign 20-year leases on highly regarded vineyards planted with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from which he offers consumers world-class Cabernet Sauvignons that showcase different Napa microclimates/terroirs. In short, there are five separate vineyard sites in the Bond portfolio. The Melbury comes from a seven-acre parcel (sedimentary and clay soils) on steep slopes in the Pritchard Hill area near Lake Hennessey, east of Rutherford. The northern most parcel, the Pluribus comes from a high elevation (1,000 feet) site on Spring Mountain. It, too, is a seven-acre parcel planted in the white volcanic bedrock called tufa. The most southerly situated vineyard is Vecina (11 acres planted at 200- to 330 foot elevation), which is a neighbor of Harlan Estate in the Oakville Corridor, on the western hillsides of Napa. St. Eden, a valley floor vineyard, is composed of 11 acres on gentle foothills just north of the Oakville Crossroads. The Quella Vineyard is a nine-acre site in the eastern foothills of St. Helena with an interesting terroir of alluvial pebbles and small rocks of what is believed to be an old riverbed. White tufa can be found as well. Part of the objective is to vinify these wines in identical manners so that as they age their microclimate/terroir characters become more pronounced. The barrels that are deemed not worthy enough to go into the individual single-vineyard wines are blended into the Matriarch cuvée.

Incredible purity of fruit here. Blueberry, blackberry and floral aromas. Orange peel. Angostia. This shows incredible class and depth. The tannins are seamless and beautiful. Mineral. The finish lasts for minutes. The texture is ethereal. It's tannin, fruit, tannin, fruit. Better in 2018 but a red to ponder.

Rich and powerful, with torque to the ripe dark berry, chocolate, subtle earth and cedar flavors. A muscular yet graceful style that holds its own and promises a nice life ahead. Best from 2015 through 2025. 530 cases made. –JL

The 2010 St. Eden is sumptuous, rich and layered. A dark and totally sensual wine, the 2010 flows across the palate with seemingly endless layers of striking, beautifully perfumed fruit. This is one of the most, polished, refined wines of the year. The aromas and flavors seem to explode in all directions in a stunning expression of one of the great sites in Oakville. Today the 2010 is naturally quite primary, but it should start drinking well in another few years.