“These are all good to very good Napa Cabs, made with quality fruit, in a style that depends on the oak barrel for most any personality to be found right now.”

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In a previous life, my wife Kim and I co-owned an alcohol-sampling company with our good friends Shar Douglas and Ken Hebenstreit. One memorable gig we worked was a one-off at a high-end grocery store on the far westside, about 6 or 7 years ago. The presentation included a varied selection from Hess Persson Estates, including three of their premium Hess Collection Napa Cabs. At that time, we purchased two bottles each of these Cabernets for future gatherings among the four of us. We finally decided that, at 10 and 11 years of age, one set of these was ready to try, and so we did.

None of us drink much in the way of Napa Cabs, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like them when they’re good, so we were looking forward to seeing what these were all about with some time in the cellar. They were decanted for half an hour and tasted briefly before dinner, and then enjoyed with thinly sliced, grilled New York strips, tiny potatoes and haricots verts with sliced almonds. We neglected to record what we paid for these at the time of purchase, so I have included current prices.
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