Dark clear ruby out to thin clear edges.  Considerably more sed than the 06 a few days ago.  A denser, darker grade of colour as well.  Sweet, intensely floral nose.  Rose and hibiscus and black, dense blackberry fruit, tinder-box and conifer smoke with tons of bright mint and slight eucalyptus.  Really an amazing nose, carrying with it a certain Old-World musky cellar nuance blending nicely with the slight polish apparent.  Considerably more concentrated in the mouth than the 06 as well.  Starts out on mineral-ridden fruit and both grow together into a duet of massive ripe black-cherry fruit and a dusky bitter earth and acid with the afore-mentioned floral also doing its thing to keep the tannins at bay.  But it is futile.  Eventually–far into the finish, the last fruit succumbs to the mildly-vicious backbone.  This is one to watch.  Not a massive jam-bomb.  Not a ripe, velvety 90-pointer.  Not a thin fader.  A classic Rutherford cab from a good vintage.

2007 SAWYER CELLARS Meritage Bradford Rutherford Napa Valley 14.1

Winery Defunct