($20, RG Wine Trade/Indigo Wine Group): The Franklin Tate Estate wines labeled Alexanders Vineyard are stunningly good.  I enthusiastically recommended their 2012 Syrah and am even more impressed by this Cabernet Sauvignon.  The immediately explosive nose prepares you for what follows. A savory herbal edges nicely offsets and complements dark fruit flavors.  The interplay between the two keeps evolving as the wine sits in the glass.  Despite its power and intensity, it maintains balance so it doesn’t come across as overdone.  Suave tannins make it an ideal choice for current drinking with hearty food.  It delivers far more than the price suggests.
91 Michael Apstein Sep 10, 2013