The score for 1994 Arrowood Reserve Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon is 96 points from Robert Parker and the tasting note - When asked about comparing the 1994, 1995, and 1996 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, Dick Arrowood felt that 1994 produced the richest, most opulent wines, with the roundest tannin. He went on to say that 1995 was slightly more forward, with attractive aromatics, but the wines possessed more jagged edges and aggressive tannin, yet impressive extract in addition to a firmer character. As for the 1996s, Arrowood did not feel they were as fleshy and round as the 1994s, but they were relatively supple, and usually possessed excellent aromatics and density. In essence, they are firmer, but not as tough as some 1995s. As the following tasting notes attest, all of the reds from Arrowood were exceptionally successful. Arrowood's dazzling 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale is an exquisite wine made from a blend of vineyards (Wildwood, Smothers, Balbi, Belle Terre, and others). The largest percentage of fruit is from Sonoma Valley, although a small quantity comes from Alexander Valley and Dry Creek. The wine exhibits an opaque purple color, and a spectacular nose of jammy cassis, lead pencil, vanillin, and spice. Thick, unctuously-textured flavors ooze over the palate with extraordinary purity, ripeness, and richness. In spite of its size, the wine somehow manages not to taste heavy or overdone. This sensational Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest I have tasted from Sonoma. It is a candidate for 25-30 years of cellaring, although it is soft enough to be drunk young. Production was 1,200 cases, and the wine, like all of the top Arrowood reds, was bottled with neither fining nor filtration.