A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot the Brown Rouge has a surprisingly dense opaque bouquet of lifted blackberry and boysenberry fruit the fruit nicely integrated. The palate has a slight bitterness on the entry and it is a very tight sample (despite leaving the bottle open for one hour.) However it has respectable purity brittle tannins and fine focus towards the coca-tinged finish. Fine.

This blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot offers a gorgeous bouquet of graphite, asphalt, cola, black currants and plums. Good acidity provides vibrancy and freshness to this well-endowed, attractive, medium-bodied sleeper of the vintage. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. - Robert Parker