A lovely cool vintage expression, the oak already seamlessly integrated. This is a wine of exquisite balance and harmony, tender and almost delicate but for the considerable, if disguised, power. There are subtle rose petal notes alongside the more predominant dark berries and a little walnut. Sapid, juicy, lithe and springy in texture, the tannins grip and engage and break up the outer surface of the wine releasing and injecting pure fresh fruit in waves right into the midst of the palate. They build the sensation of fruit intensity as they do so. Fabulous. A wine of layered complexity aligned with wondrous freshness. 99+. - Colin Hay

Based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot and aged in 76% new oak, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep purple hue and offers up a massive nose of crème de cassis, crushed stone, liquid violets, and freshly sharpened pencil. It's deep, rich, full-bodied, and voluptuous on the palate, with a sensational level of purity, an expansive, opulent mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. There are roughly 3,500 cases of this magical elixir, which will benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 40+ years if well stored. Drink 2030-2070. - Jeb Dunnuck

In my tasting with winemaker Chris Carpenter, we spoke at length about how Lokoya expresses Napa’s mountain sub-appellations with site-specific clarity. But with Cardinale – the Oakville-based crown jewel of the Jackson Family portfolio – the philosophy is different: the sum must be greater than the parts. This is not an estate wine. It is a masterful blend, culled from multiple appellations, including Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Atlas Peak, Stags Leap, Rutherford, and St Helena, with 4% Merlot from the Keyes Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain. The wine was aged for 22 months in 76% new French oak. Inky, black-fruited notes are laced with intensely perfumed red and white rose petals, along with lilac, a dusting of white pepper, and sagebrush. Heady red spices, crushed-stone minerality, and powerful tannins build with real intensity before resolving into a polished, mouthwatering finish. - Jonathan Cristaldi

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Cardinale is dense and packed to the core. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and espresso all race across the palate. Cardinale is a blend of top sites across Napa Valley, both valley floor and mountain, which yields a more plush, generous Cabernet Sauvignon relative to the wines Chris Carpenter makes from pure mountain sites. There's a bit more new oak imprint as well. - Antonio Galloni

In addition to fruit from the Jackson Family's mountain holdings (Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain), the 2022 Cardinale includes grapes from the Atlas Peak, Rutherford, Saint Helena and Stags Leap District AVAs. It spent 22 months in 81% new French oak, resulting in a wine redolent of cedar, black cherries and vanilla. Truthfully, it's not as complex as you might hope for, but it's still a mighty impressive mouthful of Cabernet, being full-bodied and velvety-textured. It's not quite plush, showing just a bit of chewy tannin at the moment, but it should prove very enjoyable to drink over the next two decades. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has carte blanche to source the valley's best fruit for this wine but confesses to being price-conscious when purchasing, claiming to have passed on fruit from certain big-name vineyards that he felt were asking too much per ton. At 3,500 cases produced, it should be reasonably available, given the Jackson family's comprehensive distribution network. - Joe Czerwinski