Dense, rich and concentrated, with layers of chewy blackberry, wild berry, black licorice and fresh-turned earth, accented by cedary details. This style requires patience but may always be on the tannic side. (JL)

Far more concerned at this point with full-throttle richness than it is with subtlety and nuance, the younger Mithra is a bold, big-bodied offering that fixes on emphatic, fully ripened fruit with no small measure of sweet oak in support. It is powerful, solidly built stuff whose youth is manifest in its ragged, slightly hot finish, but it has all of the right structural pieces in place to grow effortlessly, and its fruity stamina ensures no fewer than six to ten years of certain improvement lie ahead.

Mithra's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon packs a serious punch. Blackberry jam, cloves, spices, menthol, bittersweet chocolate and new oak give the 2012 its distinctive unctuous, racy personality. There is plenty of Mt. Veeder power and intensity, but the firm mountain tannins have been tamed to a significant degree. Readers should expect a full-throttle, opulent Cabernet endowed with considerable sweetness and density. Although certainly not timid, this is very nicely done in its style. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec. (AG)