Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2004

This is a winery with a lot of history. When Roy Raymond arrived in Napa in 1933, he worked at the famous Beringer Brothers winery. Then he married Martha Beringer in 1936. After the Beringer Family winery was sold in 1971, the Raymond family members started making wine under the Raymond name. I visited this winery in Napa with a good friend of mine, who happens to be one of the Raymond great-grandsons. The 2004 Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a nice medium-bodied Cabernet made up of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Merlot. It was aged for 17 months in mostly French oak. It starts with a nice fruity aroma of spicy blackberry, cherry and pomegranate with a hint of chocolate. On the palate, there was more blueberry flavors along with blackberry, tobacco and some cracked black pepper at the end. It had a lengthy finish and soft tannins. There was some oak too but it was well integrated. This wine could pair nicely with ribs, a nice fillet or even burgers on the grill. We enjoyed this wine.  A 90 point rating was given by  Connoisseur's Guide and an 88 point rating was given by Wine Enthusiast. Put this wine away for a few more years and it will be even better.  Now I'm on the lookout for the 2005 vintage which received a 93 point rating.  This reserve retails for $28.