Tasting Notes
Vinous 90+
(retasted at Mondavi) Very good full medium ruby. Currant, black cherry, roast coffee, cedar, leather, tobacco, truffle and black olive on the flamboyant nose. Sappy, youthfully tight flavors of currant and tobacco leaf, with a faint gamey nuance. Very ripe and rich but adamantly dry. Strong finish features big, ripe tannins. A superb bottle, far closer in character to my memory of this wine than the more politely styled example shown at the group tasting.
JancisRobinson.com 17.5
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot. A vintage with early budbreak and a cool spring. A heat wave during flowering led to reduced yields, which were then reduced further through less water availability from reduced rainfall. The combination led to small berries with more concentration. The cool season led to overall higher acidity levels. Fermented in stainless steel at 86 F (30 C) for four days then kept on skins for three weeks. After malolactic conversion it was aged in 85% new French oak for 18 months. Aromatics of green bell pepper with a musky note that integrates with time in the glass. The green herbal notes carry forward into the palate lifting the wine from a core of creamy spice and mixed fruits. There is a lot of amplitude and density on the palate here with nice aromatic complexity and a lifting freshness. This is a pleasant wine that drinks well right now but does have a few years left in the bottle. (ECB)
Anticipated maturity: 1993-2020
