1996 Wine

Wine Spectator, 96 points: This leans toward the tropical side, with mango and guava notes out front, while maple, date, blood orange and citrus oil flavors fill in behind. The finish kicks into another gear, taking off with honeysuckle, orange...

Wine Spectator, 96 points: Fabulous aromas of crushed raspberries plums and blackberries. Mind-blowing nose. Full-bodied with soft and silky tannins and a long caressing finish. Hard not to drink now but leave it alone.--'95/'96 Bordeaux...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: ...unquestionably the finest wine produced by this estate since their blockbuster 1990. Medium to full-bodied with a saturated black/purple color the nose offers notes of cedar jammy black fruits smoke truffles and subtle...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, 91 points: 91+ Very dark ruby red. Lively violet and dark berry aromas. Penetrating but supple; very bright flavor of dark berries complicated by spicy oak. Finishes very long, with dusty wood tannins. Very limited availability.

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, 93 points: ...Exotic aromas of black cherry cassis minerals smoke clove and mint. Thick with extract but with Ausone classic restrained sweetness and mineral backbone. Sound acidity gives the flavors superb clarity and grip...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, 90 points: Superb dark ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry cassis and smoke. Lush layered and sweet; already shows compelling inner-mouth flavor surprising in light of the 3.6 pH which is lower than normal for this wine...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points: This is a backward, muscular, highly-extracted wine with a boatload of tannin, thus the question mark. The saturated plum/purple color is followed by an aggressively oaky nose with scents of roasted coffee, blackberries...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: An intensely complex wine which brings together 18 of the greatest vineyards in Champagne. This vintage combines richness with a relatively high level of acidity. This means it has already a fine balance, with a touch...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: (90-93 points) The 1996 Barolo Margheria combines the best of the traditional style of Barolo with the more progressive modern wine making style. The color is a saturated plum. Over-ripe aromas of black fruits are...