This wine was increasingly stunning and supple each time I went back to it as it evolved in cask but it appears to have closed down. The wine exhibits a dark saturated ruby/purple color a tight earthy nose that reluctantly gives up jammy black-raspberry and cherry notes intermingled with grilled meats and smoky scents. Medium to full-bodied with more tannin in evidence than prior to bottling this is a fat dense expansively-flavored wine with outstanding purity ripeness and depth. However I am always inclined to give the after-bottling tasting more weight than the half-dozen or so tastings prior to bottling because "it's what's in the bottle that counts." I may have caught this wine at an awkward stage as it is unquestionably weighty rich and certainly outstanding but I expected it to be even more intense. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2012.