15% Petit Verdot. As this deep and generous wine comfortably attests, ripeness is no liability when matched by plentiful fruit. It is wonderfully fleshy in feel with a fine sense of solidity and lots of extracted currants and sweet oak paving its way. Never once does it make even the least bow to softness, and both its tannin and alcohols are buffered by long-lasting, well-focused fruit. It can easily be cellared for five years or more, but its few youthful edges present no immediate problems, an...

<p>Ripe, rich blackberry and blackcurrant fruit notes dominate the nose, with hints of toffee, licorice, bacon and leather. This is a full-bodied, densely-textured wine with solid tannins and a long finish.</p>

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