Review by Stephen Tanzer
Rating: (94-97)
(a 60/40 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot) Saturated ruby. Wonderfully complex nose melds blackberry, black- and redcurrant, coffee, tobacco, licorice, graphite, game and spices; quite claret-like. Large-scaled, lush and compellingly sweet but with an early harmoniousness of elements that gives it a wonderfully light touch. Combines great breadth with terrific inner-mouth energy and freshness. The substantial but extremely fine-grained tannins hit the palate very late, allowing the wine’s highly complex flavors to expand and linger. ) Dark ruby-red. Vibrant, complex nose combines currant, minerals, tobacco and brown spices. Wonderfully sweet, lush and fine-grained, with its silky texture enlivened by compelling inner-mouth perfume. Intriguing mineral and licorice notes add to the complexity of this very deep, layered wine, which finishes with spreading tannins and outstanding length. Large-scaled and rather powerful but with a lovely light touch. A superb 2006.
The plan as of March was to wait until December or January to bottle this wine, which promises to be the best release yet from this estate.
