Behrens & Hitchcock The Contender (Napa Valley) 2003

A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. (When I see these sort of blends, I'm always curious to know if the winemaker thought that the 1% Petit Verdot made a real difference or if he just had a barrel of it laying around and wanted to use it up.) Anyway, at this stage, this is a very good but not great wine. Despite having thrown a lot of sediment, the wine still has a ton of tannin. Needs decanting and time to breathe. Initially, there was an odd hoppy/resinous aroma, but it blew off with some aeration. Plums and prunes. Cassis. Mint. Grade: B/B+