Bright, full medium ruby. Extravagant, superripe aromas of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, graphite, minerals and espresso. Wonderfully plush, liqueur-like and sweet, showing a distinctly herbal quality that energizes the deep dark fruits in the middle palate. Very dense, thick wine with the stuffing to support its firm tannins. The extremely long, slowly rising finish conveys repeating notes of liqueur-like ripeness yet comes across as quite youthful, even backward. This wine should continue to evolve and harmonize with further aging. Incidentally, this bottle showed considerably more pliancy, sweetness and richness than a much tighter sample that was part of my extensive vertical tasting at the winery two years ago and I have extended my projected peak drinking range substantially as a result. 93+ points