Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma County (California) 2015

 With considerable breadth and intensity, this altogether delicious red blend honors the five traditional Bordeaux “cépages” (grape varieties):  Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (9%), Cabernet  Franc (4%), Malbec (4%), and Petit Verdot (2%).   Before being blended together, each variety is aged for twenty months in French oak then, after all five elements are blended together, they spend another year in the bottle before being released.  The finished wine is both dense and elegant.   It is ready to drink now or, if you’re more patient than I, you can hold on to it for at least a couple more years.