<p>The nose is filled with the scent of lusciously ripe red plums and black currants accented with violets and caramel. In the mouth the flavors expand, revealing red and clack plums, vanilla, and traces of sweet caramel from the French oak. The flavors linger, leaving a persistent note of dried red cherry in the finish. Good acidity supports the wine&rsquo;s flavors and texture. Thanks to its breadth of flavor notes, the wine complements a wine range of cuisine, from a torte of roasted fall vegetables with Guyere in a flaky pastry shell to a leg of lamb slow-roasted with mustard seed and rosemary.</p>

Touches of roots and loam and a dollop of caramelly oak lift the somewhat muted black cherry fruit in the nose and similarly add a useful assist in the mouth. Latter-palate tannins are a bit too coarse at this point, and a wait of some three to five years looks to be the ticket here.

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

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