Pleasant, medium-intense aromas of cherries, currants, caramel and a touch of loamy earth set the varietal stage here, and the wine's ripe, relatively straightforward flavors reflect a similar mix of fruit and oak. Slightly supple to start, but drier, tougher and increasingly tannic as it goes, it is a little too coarse for current consideration but should come around nicely with three to five years of further age.

Rating for United States-California: 78 (bad year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: quite possibly over the hill<br/>