Solidly focused on plentifully oaked, ripe blackberry fruit in the nose, this nicely balanced bottling follows with like-minded, moderately deep, berryish flavors and shows far more polish and far less heat than its stated 16.2% alcohol predicts. It comes without much in the way of tannic bite, and it looks good to go in the near term.

Bright, deep red-ruby. Crushed redcurrant, dark plum and blackberry on the nose. Suave and silky but serious in the mouth, but with a bit less definition to the dark plum and cherry flavors than the Fanucchi-Wood wine displays. Finishes a bit edgy and not at all overly sweet, with hints of peppery spices, licorice and herbs.

Rating for United States-California: 82 (slightly worse than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: unpredictable<br/>

91 WA