My Bordeaux blend is made utilizing proven Old World techniques my father used: bare hands and passion. In today's hi-tech world, it's easy to fall victim to automated processes - like pushing a button or reading a gage or two - that indicate a cookbook recipe is progressing according to a laboratory-defined set of acceptance criteria.

Not that I don't take advantage of some of today's available science, but Rezonja Wine Cellars is very much dedicated to old world processes, with the dominant tool being my hands, my heart and mother nature. I think you will approve.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the grapes that go into my wine (I'll be including Petite Verdot and Malbec soon). My desire to develop a blended wine stems, I think, from my passion for cooking. Take, for example, a superlative dish. It's created with a base ingredient that is enhanced by a variety of spices that are properly combined and simmered for just the right amount of time.

Blending my wine is very much like my cooking - always inviting, rarely the exact same experience twice, forever trying to capture the essence of the ingredients at hand.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the base ingredient for my wine. A deep, rich blackberry and black currant character is what Sky Pine Vineyards' Cabernet Sauvignon typically provides. From there, the Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec act as my spices. The Merlot is added for its softness, the Cabernet Franc for its spicy aroma and flavor, the Petite Verdot adds a deep color and fragrance, and the black richness of Malbec provides a final, unique dimension.

And let's not forget the oak. I've selected a number of French coopers as well as a variety of toast levels, each of which adds another dimension to the final blend. The barrels are intended to contribute a subtle oak dimension, without trying to be overpowering. Cocoa, leather, cedar and an essence of sweet smoke is my primary objective. The combination of all these ingredients, coupled with 20 months of barrell aging, results in Rezonja Wine Cellars' wine being ready to bottle. By now, the combination of these flavors begins to present the character of that vintage.

After bottling, the wine is left to bottle-age for an additional year before release. At the release of a new vintage, the wine is very much in its infancy. It is ready to share with friends at dinner, but I do encourage decanting. Rezonja Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is quite approachable when young.

It exemplifies great Alexander Valley cabs, with the added dimension of a two-thousand-foot mountainous upbringing. Even though my wine can be shared the day you receive it, it can easily be aged for an additional 10 to 15 years. If you receive a case (or two) as a gift, a bottle (or two) a year shared with your friends will allow you to experience the development of the vintage. Save some to create a Rezonja Wine Cellars vertical tasting in 8 to 10 years.

One last note: If you do host a vertical tasting of my wine, call me - I'd love to attend!