| Score: |
95 ST.
"Deep ruby-red. Explosive, downright sexy aromas of black raspberry, cassis, violet, tobacco, mocha, menthol and licorice; this has not shut down since the recent bottling. Lush and sweet but with terrific inner-mouth energy to the black raspberry and floral flavors. Wonderfully full but not heavy, with thoroughly ripe tannins buried in fruit. Finishes extremely long and floral. Not as massive and superripe as the 2007, which I retasted next to this wine and once again rated 96 points, but this is a beauty. Winemaker Martha McClellan told me she racked this wine just once before putting the blend together. She described 2008 as 'a pretty easy year. It wasn't necessary to let the fruit hang, as in 2006. The vintage is actually a bit like 2005, and the tannins are definitely sweeter than those of 2006.'" Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June '11 |