1 | Wine | Page 372

"Smudged on the nose with baked red cherry and soy aromas. The palate is crisp and ripe on the entry with touches of red currant and wild strawberry, leading to a poised finish with good length, if not great complexity."

"An inky/purple color is accompanied by sweet, pure aromas of black fruits and spice. This full-bodied wine exhibits superb concentration, sweet tannin, and a multilayered, textured, full-bodied mouthfeel with no hard edges. The sweetness of the tannin, the extraordinary purity of fruit, and the intense aromatics suggest a year of great ripeness." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Exotic fruit flavors. The combination of butterscotch and hazelnut makes it an even more fascinating wine".

"Bright ruby. A wild, pungent bouquet presents dark berries, anise,and a peppery overtone. Sappy cassis and blackberry flavors have depth and grip. Finishes spicy, with good cut, leaving a bitter cherry note behind. I suspect that I caught this wine a few months early."

"Cassis, blueberry, graphite and floral notes, good acidity, stunning concentration and purity, and a long finish." 95-97 pts, reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Attractive aromas of dark berry, red berry, red and black licorice make way to flavors of huckleberry, dried cherry, anise and roasted coffee. Integrated with ripe and nutty tannins, it's cedary oak and cigar box notes leave you with a plush and silky lingering finish."

"The dark ruby/purple-hued 2008 reveals an angular, austere personality along with medium to full-bodied, deep, concentrated fruit. An unusually backward and highly tannic 2008, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and should keep for 20 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Sweet ginger spice on the nose. Ripe apple and spice flavors show good intensity and cut but are dulled by a faintly resiny character, no doubt from oak. Finishes with a touch of dryness. I wanted a bit more fruit." -Stephen Tanzer

"Redcurrant, cherry and ripe herbs on the nose, complicated by subtle soil tones. Sweet, silky, pliant and fairly full; this really spreads out to coat the plate. A very horizontal style of wine, and nicely filled in from the start. Finishes broad, ripe and classically dry, with very good persistence and a medicinal reserve." 90-93 pts, reviewed by Stephen Tanzer.