The 2005 Proprietary Red is significantly better than what I tasted last year, although I certainly gave it a high score. This wine has fleshed out beautifully. The final blend (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) has a deep purple color, a beautifully sweet nose of blackberries and cassis intermixed with some meatiness, smoke, and a touch of pain grille as well as notes of espresso and licorice. Full-bodied, rich, with decent acidity, excellent delineation, and moderately high tannin, this is a beauty that should evolve for 25ndash;30+ read more...years. It is no wimpish wine at 15.2% natural alcohol, but that is buried beneath a cascade of gorgeous fruit and glycerin. This wine should be cruising along brilliantly in 2030+.    (hide)

This wine has fleshed out beautifully. The final blend has a deep purple color, a beautifully sweet nose of blackberries and cassis intermixed with some meatiness, smoke, and a touch of pain grille as well as notes of espresso and licorice. Full-bodied, rich, with decent acidity, excellent delineation, and moderately high tannin, this is a beauty that should evolve for 25-30+ years. It is no wimpish wine at 15.2% natural alcohol, but that is buried beneath a cascade of gorgeous fruit and glycerin. This wine should be cruising along brilliantly in 2030+.

84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 11% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot; 1% Malbec. Pahlmeyer will never be accused of undue winemaking restraint, and its latest red-wine opus is draughted in the deep, highly ripened, very big-bodied style for which the label is famed. An absolutely mouthfilling effort that is piled high with layers of curranty fruit, raspberries, sweet oak, caramel and loamy spice, it is so rich that it verges on sweetness at times. It wants for at least another five or six years...

The 2005 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, a vibrant, deeply colored wine, offers a nose complex in aromas of crème de cassis, tobacco, dark chocolate, dark fruit, graphite and spice. The extraordinary structure of this wine encompasses a palate that is full-bodied and rich, offering excellent acidity and finely grained tannins. The length is impeccable and lasts seemingly for minutes after the last swallow. A truly irresistible wine to try now but certainly one that should also hold for decades.

Good saturated red-ruby. Pungent aromas of cassis and violet, with a whiff of smoked meat. Densely packed, layered and thick; a step up in depth from the merlot. This boasts a chocolatey richness to its sweet dark fruit flavors. Finishes supple, lush, broad and long, with substantial sweet tannins and a lingering note of chocolate.

Ripe, rich and complex, with layers of black cherry, wild berry, currant and cherry kirsch flavors that are bold, rich and persistent, ending with a long, intense yet elegant aftertaste. –JL

Wine Spectator rating: 88

WS 94 points: Ripe, rich and complex, with layers of black cherry, wild berry, currant and cherry kirsch flavors that are bold, rich and persistent, ending with a long, intense yet elegant aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Drink now through 2015. Robert Parker WA 96 points: The 2005 Proprietary Red is significantly better than what I tasted last year, although I certainly gave it a high score. This wine has fleshed out beautifully. The final blend has a deep purple color, a beautifully sweet nose of backberries and cassis intermixed with some meatiness, smoke and a touch of pain grille as well as notes of espresso and licorice. Full bodied, rich with decent acidity, excellent deliniation, and moderatly high tannin, this is a beauty that should evolve for 25-30 years. Stephen Tanzer IWC 94 points: Good saturated red-ruby. Pungent aromas of cassis and violet, with a whiff of smoked meat. Densely packed, layered and thick; a step up in depth from the merlot. This boasts a chocolatey richness to its sweet dark fruit flavors. Finishes supple, lush, broad and long, with substantial sweet tannins and a lingering note of chocolate.

splits (375 ml). Fruit bomb alert. delicious.