Is the duck worth the call?

I have mused in the past on whether a pricey bottle of name-your-drink was proportionally better than a more modestly priced product. I doubt I will be able to ever tell you whether the 70 year old Mortlach or the 55 year old Macallan are, or perhaps even some of the celebrated Bordeaux vintages (1945, 1961 and 1982 come to mind). I did get to try a more moderately priced, yet well-regarded wine from the Napa Valley recently, though, that got me thinking on this topic again. The wine in question is the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Duckhorn Vineyards. A glass of this stuff would get you halfway to a subscription to Wine Spectator. It was indeed a satisfying and layered drink. The tasting notes that came on my coaster said it would have black raspberry and oaken cocoa. I don't know about oaken, but cocoa was certainly in evidence and it had a carbonated, almost Dr. Pepperish/cola taste at the tip of the tongue. The tannins were barely present. It was a mild cab, not the monsters that one might get at a steakhouse. Was it better than a $10 bottle? Certainly. How about some $30 bottles? Maybe, but not all. So, at $95 a bottle it might be pricey, but if you are offered a glass, don't turn up your nose at it.