Ripe black cherries merge with ample oak, hints of leather and a bit of brushy spice in the moderately rich aromas of this fairly ripe and weighty wine, and its youthful, yet accessible, flavors follow suit with cherries and spice underpinned by fairly tough tannins. The wine's slight early bent to softness is countered by lots of latter-palate astringency, and five or six years of keeping should prove a real benefit here.

Rating for United States-California: 92 (slightly better than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: unpredictable<br/>