Although the deep, very well-extracted fruit and the abundant sweet oak of this generous wine are altogether compelling, the polish and fine sense of proportion that are conveyed early on are lost to tongue-curing tannin and heat at the finish just now. All the same, there is real seriousness about this bottling in spite of its rather harsh manner, and, even admitting that it is terribly pricey and that its keeping comes as a gamble, it is a bet that we would at least consider.

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