Review by Stephen Tanzer
Rating: (94-97)
(60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot) Good dark ruby-red. Expressive aromas of currant, smoky oak and licorice. Large-scaled, voluptuous and wonderfully sweet; this fills the mouth and saturates the olfactory’s with an almost candied ripeness. Maintains its outstanding breadth clear through to the compellingly sweet back end, which features big, broad tannins and a repeating note of licorice. Very ripe aromas of blackberry, licorice and violet. At once thick and sappy, with a powerful sense of solidity to the flavors of dark berry syrup and minerals. This boasts the density of the vintage’s best examples, but there’s also plenty of energy to leaven the wine’s lush, full texture. Finishes with big but very fine tannins and outstanding length.
