I confess I love Wine Spectator magazine. I know it’s biased toward domestic wines. I realize its 100-point rating system (which it stole from Robert Parker) oversimplifies. And it really irks me that all the featured critics, every last one of them, is male. (I mean, come on guys, in a wine world populated by the likes of Patricia Gallagher and Jancis Robinson, you couldn’t find one regular woman columnist? We’re not even thrown an Adam’s rib bone of a token!)

Problem is, I just love a good list. And in Wine Spectator, every issue is filled with rundowns like “Germany’s Top Rieslings,” “2006’s Greatest Wine Values,” (read every word!), not to mention vintage charts, buying guides, the whole bit.

So when I spotted the cabernet recently anointed “Best of Napa” on the wine list at Morton’s the other day, I just had to get out my wallet.

I remembered noting that, in the Wine Spectator lineup, their top cab from Napa Valley, the Caymus Special Selection, wasn’t the most expensive or the hardest to find. (It currently retails around $140 for 750 ml., a bargain compared to its competitors like Harlan or Screaming Eagle, the 2004 of which was released at $500.) Also, it performed really well in their taste-off because it’s a blend of the fruit from the best parcels of the best vineyards at the winemaker’s disposal, so the wine can achieve a consistency in its quality from year to year. So I made a mental note to try it.

Good choice, guys. I asked our waiter if he could decant the bottle since (as a 2004) it was pretty young, but it didn’t need it. A gorgeous aroma already lifted from the wine, filled with all kinds of distinct scents of cedar, blackberries, licorice, and cigar box. It had a classic cabernet flavor profile with tons of dark berry fruit and some graphite and grilled toast, but what made the taste so memorable was the clarity and purity of these flavors, plus their perfect harmony. I was amazed at how poised this cabernet was. It had plenty of heft and concentration, but it seemed so effortless on the palate. (I read that Caymus has cut in half the time that the Special Selection spends in oak, which clearly was a smart move.) A very long finish wrapped up every cherished sip. I felt really sad when the bottle was empty.