Bright saturated ruby. Aromas of cassis, bitter chocolate, graphite and shoe polish, plus a suggestion of leafy herbacity. Supple, pliant and dense, with dark berry flavors complicated by a subtle herbal nuance. Very Stags Leap in character. Sound acids and substantial dusty-but-fine tannins give this sweet but grown-up cabernet solid structure. Showing considerably better today than this winery Fay Vineyard bottling.

Its kinship to the wine above is clear insofar as both richness and raggedness are concerned, although this is marginally the toughest of the Stag's Leap bunch. It smells of rich oak, loam, weeds and ripe currants, but those themes are cut short in the mouth just now. It needs to sit and smooth for as much as another six to eight years.

Rating for United States-California: 94 (slightly better than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: unpredictable<br/>