Wine Vault: Random Notes - July, 1997
The Wine List:
1966 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese (Fuder #7)- Dr. Thanisch
1971 Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Auslese- Schloss Reinhartshausen
1971 Torres Gran Coronas Black Label
1995 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley- Williams-Selyem
1994 Condrieu Cuvee Dorian- Guigal
1991 Hermitage "le Greal"- Marc Sorrel
1993 Bandol "Cabassaou"- Domaine Tempier
1988 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
1952 Chateau Cheval Blanc
1961 Chateau Cos D'Estournal
1985 Chateau La Conseillante
1988 Chateau Trotanoy
1994 Chateau Leoville-Barton
1979 Meursault "Poruzots"- Jobard
1990 Corton-Charlemagne- Louis Jadot
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Pucelles"- Leflaive
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Sauzet
1970 Clos Vougeout- Bouchard Pere et Fils
1985 Charmes-Chambertin- Roty
1988 Charmes-Chambertin VV- Truchot-Martin
1988 Clos de la Roche- Hubert Lignier
1989 Volnay Santenots de Milieu- Comtes Lafon
1990 Bourgogne Rouge- Leroy
1990 Nuits St. Georges "Chaignots"- Robert Chevillon
1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes- Bernard Dugat
1990 Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac
1991 Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs- Lafarge
1993 Morey St. Denis Clos de la Bussierre- Roumier
1993 Bonnes-Mares- Roumier
1995 Pommard "Les Chanlins" Vieilles Vignes- Vincent Girardin
1966 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese (Fuder #7)- Dr. Thanisch
This bottle was one of the few surviving German wines out of a couple of mixed cases culled from a cellar deep in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Most of the non-survivors fell prey to disintegrating corks, but luckily, this bottle had survived. The wine was ullaged one inch, and the branded cork actually came out in one piece (a rarity for this batch of venerable rieslings). The wine was a mature copper/gold color, and offered up a fine bouquet of apricot, lemon, saddle leather, peach pit, and loads of minerals. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, off dry, ad still quite crisp and vibrant, with a solid core of fruit in reserve, excellent framing acids giving the wine freshness and focus, and a long, complex finish. Like so many German rieslings, it has lost quite a bit of sweetness as it has aged, and is now about the level of Kabinett in terms of residual sugar, though with more body and muscle. An excellent food wine. This bottle still has some of life ahead of it. Lovely stuff. 1997-2002. 91.
1971 Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Auslese- Schloss Reinhartshausen
This is a profound example of a mature Auslese from a great vintage caught at its absolute apogee. The nose soars from the glass with scents of apricot, tangerine, creme brulee, leather, tea leaves, earth and honey. Medium-full, bright and nuanced on the palate, this wine displays a lovely sheen of botrytis cream on the attack, fine delineation and excellent concentration. Like so many maturing rieslings, this wine is beginning to dry out a bit (the sweetness, not the fruit), with the obvious Auslese sweetness now beginning to recede back towards more of a Spatlese level. The finish is very long and snappy, with a brisk girdle of acidity giving the wine focus and freshness. Drinking magically right now, this wine should continue to delight for years to come. 1997-2010. 94.
1971 Torres Gran Coronas Black Label
I had this wine quite often in the late 1980s. At the time, I thought it was a fine vintage for Black Label that was already beginning its gradual decline. A decade later, I was shocked by how well the wine was still drinking. The nose is classic Torres Black Label, with sweet scents of buttery, vanillin American oak married to beautifully mature cabernet sauvignon. In 1971 the cepage is 70 percent cabernet sauvignon, 10 percent cabernet franc and 20 percent tempranillo, though the cab sav is clearly the most notable grape in terms of flavor and aromatic profile. Mature scents of black cherry, plum, woodsmoke, herbal notes, truffle and new oak waft from the glass. Medium-full on the palate, with beautiful resolution and harmony to the flavors, a long, silky palate impression, and just a whisper of tannin on the finish. I would not opt for holding this wine much longer, but the decline I anticipated a decade ago has still not come to pass. Overall, this is a wonderfully elegant and balanced wine at its apogee of maturity. 1997-2001. 90.
1995 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley- Williams-Selyem
The '95 vintage of this bottling is decidedly deeper and more powerful than the 1994. The nose is still quite primary, but with time to open up in the decanter offers up a fine bouquet of bright cherry fruit, beetroot, coffee, mustard seed, woodsmoke, minerals and toasty new oak. Medium-full, round, and fat with fruit in the mid-palate, with good acids, soft tannins, and a long, complex, tangy finish. Even more nuance should emerge with eighteen months or so in the cellar. The fine showing of the Russian River bottling augers very well for the fall releases. 1999-2008. 91.
1994 Condrieu Cuvee Dorian- Guigal
A big point scorer elsewhere, this is a wine I does not generate very much excitement for me. To be fair, perhaps it is already over the hill, (though is showed no signs of oxidation or structural cracks), but it was universally dismissed as dull by a bevy of seasoned tasters seated around the table. The nose is typically floral and perfumed, with scents of honeysuckle, melons, pineapple, coriander, minerals, and vanillin oak. If it delivered on the palate with the same quality as it showed on the nose, we would have been all right. However, the wine was pretty devoid of fruit, hot, and clumsy, with some fatness on the attack, a hollow middle, and a wave of alcohol on the soft, short finish. Not a wine I would hurry our of my way to taste again. Drink up. 82.
1991 Hermitage "le Greal"- Marc Sorrel
I have now tasted this wine on three recent occasions, and the wine has shown differently on each occasion. One forward, evolving, and beautifully complex bottle has bee followed by a pair of quite closed, primary wines. The second of these two bottles seemed to show the emerging shape and flavor profile of a wine that will be excellent with a few more years in the cellar. The nose offers up very youthful scents of sweet cassis, blueberries, shoe polish, grilled meats, hints of pepper and woodsmoke, Deep and full on the palate, but still pretty chunky and closed. The finish is quite long and fairly tannic, but the wine's overall sense of delineation is not yet easy to see. If classic Hermitage shape
1993 Bandol "Cabassaou"- Domaine Tempier
This wine stands as far above the playing field in Bandol as La Mouline does in Cote-Rotie- there is simply no wine in Bandol that comes even remotely close to the quality of Cabassaou. The bouquet is extraordinarily complex for such a youthful wine, with scents of black cherry, quince, smoke, licorice, balsam boughs, minerals and cedary wood wafting from the glass. Full-bodied and impeccably balanced on the palate, with laser-like focus, lovely framing acidity, a deep core of fruit and ripe tannins absolutely buried by fruit on the finish. This is a toweringly profound bottle of Bandol that cries out for a decade of cellaring, but yet is so perfectly balanced that it is imminently drinkable right out of the blocks. This is my first vintage of Cabassaou, and I have never had a better example of Bandol. How's the 1990 vintage? 2004-2020. 95.
1988 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
This is the second time that I have had this wine in the last few months, and this particular bottle seemed a bit more closed than the first, fully blooming bottle I had. The nose is wonderfully exotic, with scents of fresh figs, guava, ripe apple, petrol, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. Full-bodied, but still a touch tight and closed on the palate, with fine balance and a long, complex, powerful finish. A super wine that is not quite as powerful as the 1983 or 1994, but by no means a lightweight wine. I initially thought this wine had entered into its apogee, but now I would hold off drinking it for another couple of years. 2000-2015. 92.
1952 Chateau Cheval Blanc
I have included this recent note on the 1952 Cheval Blanc because my recently posted note was from a bottle whose provenance I was not entirely comfortable with. At the time, having never had the wine before, I was not sure how much of the character of the wine was attributable to vagaries of storage. However, this bottle was in fine shape, and the wine showed virtually identical. On both occasions on which I have had this wine over the last several months, I have been struck by how black fruity and powerful this wine actually is. The nose is atypical of Cheval Blanc, but excellent, with scents of black truffle, cassis, mullberry, tobacco, tarry notes, herbs, and just a whisper of oak. Full-bodied and very black fruity on the palate as well, with excellent depth, still a surprising amount of power, and some tannin still poking through on the finish. Clearly another right bank success story in 1952. 1997-2010. 93.
1961 Chateau Cos D'Estournal
I do not recall ever having had the pleasure of tasting this wine. It was a spectacular success that demonstrates how astonishingly well-balanced and pure the wines of the 1961 vintage often are. I often get a bit of "rusticity" to many of the old Cos wines that I taste, with a red currant fruit tone, but this wine was just a fabulous, magnificently suave and complex claret caught at its magical peak of drinkability. The nose was wonderful, with scents of sweet cassis fruit, plummy notes, tobacco, black truffles, hints of roasted meats, earth, smoke, and cedary wood. Deep, full and impeccable on the palate, with haunting delineation and depth, great length, and a complex finish framed by melting tannins. Clearly the finest Cos I have had the pleasure to taste, with years and years of life ahead of it. No wonder so few people part with their 1961s! 1997-2020. 96.
1985 Chateau La Conseillante
Really a fine showing for this wine: sweet plum, black raspberry, chocolate, herb tones, black truffle, minerals, vanillin oak and a floral topnote. Full-bodied and lush on the palate, with fine shape, a juicy core of fruit, melting tannins, and a long, complex finish that ends with a note of cabernet franc. This particular bottle seems just a touch young for primetime drinking; I would let it sit another two or three years, and then drink it over the subsequent twenty. 2000-2020. 92+.
1988 Chateau Trotanoy
My experience with 1988 right bank wines leads me to believe that they are generally a cut above the Medoc. Here is a stylish example fo Trotanoy from the continuing post-1982 slump years. The nose is typically complex and perfumed, with scents of ripe plums, grilled nuts, tobacco, chocolate, dill-like herb tones, minerals, and toasty new oak. Medium-full, round and complex on the palate, with modest tannins, fine balance, and a fairly long finish. This is a delicious bottle of wine that I would love to find on winelists over the next few years. Of course, it is no 1967 Trot! 1997-2010. 89.
1994 Chateau Leoville-Barton
Barton has turned out one of the unqualified successes of the '94 vintage. Beautifully perfumed on first pour, the nose jumps from the glass with scents of sweet black cherries, tobacco, dusty rose, minerals, and a deft touch of toasty new oak. Deep, full-bodied, and very well-integrated on the palate, with a solid core of fruit, ripe tannins, and a long, complex finish. While a few 1994s have not shown the length and depth of fruit to completely cover the tannins, this is certainly not a problem with the 1994 Leoville-Barton. In terms of flavor profile and depth, this wine is very reminiscent of Leoville las Cases. Impressive. 2002-2020. 92.
1979 Meursault "Poruzots"- Jobard
Unfortunately, this bottle was starting to show signs of impending death. Notes of maderization are the first thing one notices on the bouquet, which also displays plenty of Muersault notes of grilled nuts, honey, ripe apples, minerals and vanillin oak. After the maderization on the nose, the palate is surprisingly fresher, with still plenty of fruit on the attack, fine soil flavors, and excellent snappy acids on the long finish. Regular size formats of this wine are bound to be hit or miss now, but I magnums this wine should be absolutely stellar. Drink up. 87. (91? in magnum)
1990 Corton-Charlemagne- Louis Jadot
With all of the spectacular successes that Louis Jadot enjoyed with its group of 1989 white Burgundies, it is surprising that my files do not have more favorable notes on Jadot's 1990 whites. Early tastings on a number of the 1990s showed wines with less depth and cut than at many other addresses. The '90 Corton-Charlemagne was certainly a mild disappointment early on, (somewhat dilute and unfocused) but it showed wonderfully well this past July. More forward than many of the wines of this vintage, the '90 Corton-Charlie is totally mature, with a stunning bouquet of candied pears and apples, spring flowers, loads of minerals, and plenty of textbook Jadot clean vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is extremely long and succulent, with a fine framework of acidity, excellent focus, and a long, complex finish. In a vintage like 1990, where so many of the best wines are marked by their uncanny purity of fruit and bracing acids, Jadot's wines show a slightly "candied" side to the fruit and precocious personalities that are an anomaly for the year. It does not make them any less delicious to drink, but they are rather surprising characteristics for 1990 white Burgundies. In any event, I like this wine very much for near-term consumption. 1997-2002. 94.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Pucelles"- Leflaive
This is my first Leflaive 1995, and it is a beauty! The nose is classic Leflaive elegance and breed, coupled to 1995's pure fruit and crisp acids. Scents of very ripe peaches, apples, lemon, spring flowers, minerals and vanillin oak jump from the glass. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and amazingly light on its feet, with '95's thick, clean fruit well-displayed on the attack, a juicy core of fruit in the middle, and a long, potentially very complex and racy finish. Like may of the 1995s, Leflaive's Pucelles is still very primary in its flavor profile, and while gorgeous to drink now, there are layers and layers of flavors and aromas still to come with a half decade of cellaring. Try to keep your hands off of this one! Now this is Leflaive at the top of its game! 2002-2015. 94.
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Sauzet
Still very tight and adolescent on both the nose and palate. With an hour's air, the bouquet reluctantly gave up scents of ripe apples, honey, minerals, wheat toast, lemon, buttery oak and a floral topnote. Very rich and full-bodied on the palate, but totally closed in on itself, with the vintages firm acids making close inspection virtually impossible. Given how fines some of the lesser Sauzet bottlings are in 1995, it is hard not to give this wine the benefit of the doubt, but there remains a certain leap of faith with any wine this closed down. Out of the blocks, Sauzet's Chevalier-Montrachet clearly gets the upper hand. 2002-2020. 91-94?
1970 Clos Vougeout- Bouchard Pere et Fils
This bottle was opened with absolutely no expectations that it would show any merit- I was simply out of cooking wine and hoping the fruit would last the thirty seconds necessary to decant it and dump it into the sauce. Surprise! Yes, I still sacrificed a cup tot he sauce, but we drank the rest with pleasure. The nose was quite fresh, with scents of raspberry, grilled meats, forest floor, woodsmoke, autumnal notes and a hint of cedar. Fullish and quite autumnal on the palate, with a nice core of fruit, balanced acidity, and a sneaky finish. Certainly not a profound wine, but quite tasty. 1997-2002. 87+
1985 Charmes-Chambertin- Roty
Unquestionably, Roty's Charmes is one of the absolute stars of the 1985 vintage. Many of the wines from this vintage have tailed off as they have matured, without possessing the core of fruit in reserve to continue their heady opulence once the "puppy fat" wore away. Many were delicious shooting stars whose best days were early on. Not so with this wine, which is still not ready to drink. The nose is magnificent, with scents of sweet cassis, plums, grilled meats, violets, French roast, minerals, and vanillin oak exploding from the glass. The vibrancy and depth of the bouquet are stunning. Full-bodied and still quite backward on the palate, with layer upon layer of ripe fruit, excellent structure, and a very long, powerful, tannic finish. The wine is nowhere near as forbidding as it was five years ago, but it is still in need of another tow or three years to really hit its plateau of maturity. It is a great wine that should drink well for two decades. 2000-2020. 95.
1988 Charmes-Chambertin VV- Truchot-Martin
In January of 1996 this wine performed excellently at a tasting of 1988 red Burgundies. At the time, I thought the wine was nearing its apogee, and while it would soften up a bit more as it matured, it was not going to improve appreciably from the fine level it had attained. At the time I scored it 93 points, and was extremely pleased with its quality. Eighteen months later, the wine has gotten significantly better! For those who still believe that 1988 red Burgundies are hard, charmless, overrated wines, take this puppy out for a test drive! The very spicy nose simply explodes from the glass with scents of red currants, strawberries, grilled meats, coffee, mustard seed, cloves, minerals, and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, meaty, stuffed with sweet fruit, perfectly balanced and taught with acidity. The overall clarity and brilliance of fruit in this wine makes a striking contrast next to the chocolatey, voluptuous, but somewhat easygoing 1990 Dujac Clos St. Denis which followed it. Truchot's '88 Charmes Vieilles Vignes possesses perfect focus and great intensity of flavor, with the wine poised to cruise along as much on its zesty acidity as on its melting tannins over the next two decades. A wine of great breed and complexity. 1997-2015. 94+.
1988 Clos de la Roche- Hubert Lignier
While many 1988s are now inching their way toward drinkability, Lignier's Clos de la Roche is still in the awkward stage that characterized most '88s up until a few years ago. The relatively high acidity of the vintage still has this wine fairly buttoned up on the palate, but the nose and length insistently demonstrate the profundity that is soon to come. The bouquet soars from the glass, with scents of cherry, plum, woodsmoke, hints of venison, coffee, herb tones, chocolate, minerals, and a fine underpinning of vanillin oak. Medium-full and tight onthe palate, with a fine core of fruit, bright acids, ripe tannins, and a long, complex, tangy finish. The fabulous potential here is easy to see, but this wine is still three or four years away from really getting into its plateau of maturity. 2000-2025. 93+.
1989 Volnay Santenots de Milieu- Comtes Lafon
1989 was most successful in the commune of Volnay, where spring weather depredations (frost and hail) acted to prune back the crop to low levels. This translated into Volnays with more depth and power than is the norm in this vastly underrated commune. This had a reputation as a bit of a brutish monster out of the blocks, though the inherent perfume and elegance of this bottling are now becoming readily apparent. The nose is stunning, with scents of ripe cassis, mullberry, vinesmoke, bitter chocolate, herb tones, minerals, black truffles and cedary wood. This is not the first vintage where I am struck by the aromatic similarities between this wine and Lafite-Rothschild. Full-bodied, pure and well-delineated on the palate, with plenty of tannin still in evidence, and very snappy acidity for a 1989 red Burgundy. The finish is very long and laser-like in its focus, with ripe tannins perking up on the finish. Unlike many 1989s, this bottle will needs to be forgotten in the cellar for another three to five years. Stunning Volnay. 2001-2020. 93.
1990 Bourgogne Rouge- Leroy
Pretty, high-toned nose of strawberry, smoke, herb tones, minerals, coffee, and a whisper of oak. Today this wine is much fresher on the nose than when first released, when it showed a distinctly "pruney" side to the fruit. Medium-bodied and modestly extracted, with clean, moderate flavors and a tangy finish. This is really a pretty decent bottle of Pinot 9with some complexity from bottle age), albeit as light as one would expect from the appellation. I chose not to cellar any of this wine, and I have no regrets. 1997-2000. 86.
1990 Nuits St. Georges "Chaignots"- Robert Chevillon
I have been visiting a few of the 1990 lesser red Burgundies over the last couple of months just to get a sense of how the wines are evolving. While they are certainly not ready, there have been a number of wines that have been much more tasty than I would have envisioned. However, this wine was not one of those. I think it will certainly be a fine bottle of wine, but it is a bit more grumpy in its adolescence than wines such as Bernard Dugat's or Denis Bachelet's Gevrey Vieilles Vignes bottlings. The nose is a bit tight and volatile, though still very deep and chocolatey, with scents of plum, venison, earth, vinesmoke, loads of chocolate, herbs and a fine touch of vanillin oak. Fullish and gamey on the palate, with plenty of thick, chocolatey '90 fruit, firm tannins, and a long, somewhat four-square finish. Perhaps I just caught this wine at an awkward stage, but I remember liking it quite a bit more in its youth, when it was all too easy to suck it down for its sweet, opulent fruit. I cellared a fair parcel of Chevillon's bigger Premier Crus (which I am sure are profound, but very closed at the moment), and only tucked away a few bottles of his "Chaignots" to see how it behaved with bottle age. I would suggest forgetting it for another few years and see if it can regain some of the sweet exuberance of its youth. 2001-2015. 87-89?
1990 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes- Bernard Dugat
Like many red Burgundies often do, Bernard Dugat's 1990s have put on weight in the bottle. Upon release, this wine was a very stylish, perfumed middleweight that seemed a little skinny in comparison with many of the more opulent young 1990s. However, times have changed! The nose explodes from the glass with scents of black cherry, plum, cocoa powder, grilled meats, herbs, minerals, and vanillin oak. Full, really packed with sweet fruit, and beautifully-integrated on the palate, with fine focus, really tangy acidity for a 1990, and a long, complex, moderately tannic finish. This wine is still a couple of years away from its apogee, but for those who have not tasted this wine since early on, it is one big, opulent mouthful of surprise today. I wish I had bought more! How will Claude Dugat's '90 Gevrey villages show in comparison? 1999-2010. 91+.
1990 Clos St. Denis- Domaine Dujac
I know, I should not be opening 1990 Grand Crus this soon, but what could I do? My parents asked if there was any more red wine, and this is all I had standing! Not surprisingly, this wine is brilliant. The opulence and thickness of 1990 fruit give this wine a syrupy texture that seems more at home with a Ponsot rather than a Dujac label on the bottle. The fabulous bouquet is still a bit adolescent, without much secondary development, but offers up scents of chocolate-covered plums, venison, sous bois, cloves, mustard seed, minerals, herb tones and toasty new oak. Full, lush, and chocolatey on the palate, with 1990's tremendous thickness of fruit, great depth and opulence, and a long, complex, modestly-tannic finish. Fine stuff. 1998-2010. 94.
1991 Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs- Lafarge
I am a huge admirer of Michel Lafarge's wines. However, the price levels the wines fetch here in the US often force me to admire from afar. His 1991s are extremely successful (the Clos des Chenes drunk from half bottle in Burgundy in 1995 was stunning), with penetrating black fruit tones and classy middleweight formats. The '91 Clos du Chateau des Ducs is still a bit tight, but with air offers up a lovely bouquet of pure cassis, plum, chocolate, violets, herbs, game notes, minerals and cedary wood. Medium-bodied, tight and penetrating on the palate, with laser-like focus, a solid core of fruit, modest tannins, bouncy acidity, and a long, complex finish. Lafarge's '91 Clos du Chateau des Ducs is a classic example of Burgundy's uncanny ability to deliver wines of excellent intensity of flavor without a lot of weight. Give this lovely wine another couple of years to really hit its apogee. 1999-2010. 91+.
1993 Morey St. Denis Clos de la Bussierre- Roumier
The 1993 red Burgundies continue to round nicely into form, after a very grumpy post-bottling adolescence. A year ago I would never have envisioned this wine being as approachable as it is today. The nose offers up scents of plum, black cherry, herb tones, venison, vinesmoke, coffee, and toasty oak. Medium-bodied and very bright on the palate, with moderate tannins, primary fruit flavors, and a long, complex finish. While this wine is certainly drinkable now, it remains very young and unevolved in terms of flavor and aromatic profiles; I would opt for forgetting it in the cellar for another five years. 2002-2020. 89.
1993 Bonnes-Mares- Roumier
Out of barrel this wine was amazingly deep, rich and plummy, with plenty of black fruit and chocolatey tones. Out of bottle in 1995, shortly after its arrival in the states, the wine was extremely shut and austere, with plenty of power, but very little shape or nuance. Having tasted it out of barrel, I had no fear for its evolutionary potential, but it was certainly not very forthcoming. It was one of the tougher customers in a vintage whose arrival in the US was most noteworthy for the extraordinary backwardness of the wines. Currently Roumier's '93 Bonnes-Mares is shaped quite differently, with a beautiful, spicy, red fruit nose of raspberry, cherry, plum, woodsmoke, venison, mustard seed, minerals, roses and cedary spicy wood. Still quite closed, the focus and complexity that the wine displayed in cask are now once again readily apparent. Full-bodied and beautifully balanced on the palate, with a juicy core of vivid fruit, perfect structure, and a long, complex, moderately-tannic finish. The wine seems a touch lighter now than it did early on, but I suspect that it will continue to put on weight over the next few years in the bottle. Not remotely near its apogee, it is surprisingly, still pretty delicious to drink right now. I would opt for giving it another six or seven years to really hit its stride. It should drink marvelously for two or three decades. 2003-2030. 94.
1995 Pommard "Les Chanlins" Vieilles Vignes- Vincent Girardin
"Chanlins" is a Premier Cru sandwiched between Rugiens and the Volnay border that I have never encountered before. I was surprised that this was a 1995 Burgundy, as the wine displayed significant development on both the nose and palate. The bouquet offers up scents of strawberry, plums, coffee, bonfires, roasted nuts, herb tones and cedary wood. Medium-bodied and quite stylish on the palate, with modest mid-palate depth, but fine delineation, and lovely ripeness of fruit. The finish is softly-tannic, complex, and, though not particularly long, at least well-proportioned. This is essentially a pleasant, softish wine with 1987 weight and depth (though more complete ripeness), that should drink well for the next five to seven years. A tasty drink, but I am beginning to appreciate my 1993 reds even more! 1997-2005. 87.
