California Cabernet prices have spiraled ever upward in recent years. It's a special thrill to find one that offers the lush fruit, power and depth one hopes for in the genre for a very friendly price. The 2005 Pedroncelli Three Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (from three microclimates in the Dry Creek Valley) is a Cab that puts most $35 California Cabernets to shame. Pedroncelli is well-known for their concentrated and ageable red wines. At our sale price this month, you can stock up and enjoy it for years to come. Tasting the 2005 Cab, we were captivated by its full-bodied, black fruit, vanilla and herb complexity. This is definitely NOT the characterless, weedy, stewed and unappealing red that pervades Cabernet bottlings in this price range. This is serious Cabernet that will show its best with an hour's aeration or a few years in the cellar.

The 2005 Pedroncelli Three Vineyards Cabernet has a lovely bouquet of pure, black cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruits interwoven with hints of toasty oak, cinnamon, earth, smoke and herbs. The flavors are rich and concentrated with the black cherry and plum fruit cascading into a long, supple finish with nuances of smoke and spices lingering pleasantly.