A roller coaster start to the 2001 growing season led into nearperfect temperatures and cool nights during the last few months before harvest, ensuring fully ripe Cabernet grapes with mature phenolics and balanced acids and tannins. Our 2001 Cabernet displays Grgich Hills' trademark bouquet of intense cassis and cedar, followed by more subtle nuances of roses, licorice, and dried cherries. On the palate, rich extraction is balanced by moderate tannins and acidity. Ripe black fruit, plums, and dark cherries harmonize in the mouth with notes of cigar box, anise, and spicy oak to form this elegant, full-bodied wine. The finish is concentrated and persistent, with layers of mocha, caramel, cassis, cherries, and vanilla. This young, structured wine should mature well over the next several years, developing additional complexity and depth of flavor.