5 | Wine | United States, 2002

"This wine has well-integrated flavors, deep color and a full mouthfeel. It displays intriguing aromas of cassis, black cherry and dark chocolate, with undertones of sweet tobacco and cedar. Rich texture and a restrained oak framework support the opulent flavors of ripe blackberry, cherry and cassis."

"A candidate for one of the longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines in California is Ridge’s Monte Bello. The 2002 Monte Bello Proprietary Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, with more of the Cabernet component than the 2001 possesses. Aromas of white chocolate, charred oak, black currants, tar, cedar, and earth are followed by a full-bodied, tannic red that is not as fleshy or fat in the mid-palate as its older sibling."

"The 2002 Mr. K The Nobleman (321 grams per liter of residual sugar and 10.25 grams per liter of acidity) is made from 100% botrytised Chardonnay. Its medium gold color is followed by a wine with honeyed complexity, and huge body, sweetness, and thickness. This effort is never as complex or focused as its siblings, but it is still a phenomenal sweet wine that can stand on its own merits against any great sweet wine made in the world."