What a great bottle for Halloween!  Cool label front and back and really good wine.  This is 100% Cabernet Franc from Rutherford.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose takes about 30 minutes to open then shows nice ripe Cab Franc, that is to say, black cherries, some black raspberries, coffee, dark chocolate, just a bit of cigar tobacco.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of black cherry and black raspberry fruit with underlying coffee and tobacco.  Long finish.  Gives this some air if opening this Halloween, it really got going after being

A new winery for me to try.  Purple in colo9r, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, smoke and gravel.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with underlying smoke and gravel.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next ten to twelve years.  This should go well with Roasted or Charred Portabellas and Root Vegetables.

This is the second wine of Pichon Longueville.  It is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate and a bit of leather.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, light tannins.  Tart, black raspberry fruit.  Some black cherries and a bit of chocolate.  Good acidity.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This should improve a bit over the next five to seven years but either way should be great drinking over the next twelve to fifteen.  A Chicken and Cheddar Sou

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cassis, slight floral notes and cedar.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this has ripe cassis flavors with a touch of leather and slight dried floral notes.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years to open and then should drink well for another ten to twelve more.  This would work well with a bacon-cheese Quiche.  

This is the second wine of Lynch Bages.  It is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  Most of the 2018's tried were riper and more "modern" for lack of a better descriptor.  This seems more "old school" with less alcohol.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, graphite, slight leather and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there are tart black cherries, medium tannins and just a bit of smoke.  A slightly clipped finish.  This could use a bit of time, maybe a couple years, but should drink well for ten to twelve