The 2006 Solo has a dense purple color a big sweet nose of lead pencil shavings intermixed with creme de cassis new saddle leather charcoal and spice box. Its brilliant delineation and full-bodied texture with nothing out of place in a seamless integration of all its building blocks make for a stylistic flavorful elegant yet powerful wine to drink over the next 20-25 years.

Not ready to open now it's just too tannic although the flavors are so ripe and lush they erupt right through the numbing astringency. Floods the mouth with ripe red stone fruits berries and currants as well as earthier notes of herbs carob and minerals. The oak is strongly sensed but entirely in keeping with the wine's volume. Cellar this very fine wine until at least 2012 and it should develop for many years thereafter. S.H.