WINE SPECTATOR REVIEW: Perennially one of California's tip-top Merlots. Dark in color, with lots of rich currant, herb, tobacco and buttery oak, but it retains a sense of elegance, even for such substantial weight and flavor.

ROBERT PARKER REVIEW: 94-96pts The opaque black/purple color suggests remarkable concentration and extraction. The huge nose of roasted black fruits intertwined with scents of coffee, mocha, and vanillin is followed by an awesomely endowed wine. The full-bodied, roasted plum/cassis, smoky flavors exhibit viscosity and an expansive fullness that must be tasted to be believed. Readers can be sure I will be squirrling away some of this magnificent Merlot.