2002 Sloan Proprietary Red

Saturated ruby. Rich, superripe, captivating aromas of black cherry, chocolate, truffle, earth and sexy oak spices. Impressively supple, rich and seamless, like a liquid confection. This is almost too big for the mouth and yet there's no impression of excess weight. Finishes with wonderfully sweet, palate-dusting tannins and slow-building length. Perhaps atypically sweet for a wine from this property but I'm not complaining. This almost made the excellent '01 seem lean in comparison. (ST)

The perfect score does not surprise me since I had given this wine a three-digit rating after bottling. However, I was surprised by how evolved and complex the 2002 has become. Compared to some of the other high scoring 2002s, Sloan’s offering seems to be on a faster evolutionary track. There is nothing wrong with that, but based on this one bottle, this blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot can be drunk now or cellared for another 10-12 years. I do not think it will be one of the blockbuster, extremely long-lived wines of the vintage, but I could be wrong, because everything is in perfect balance. It offers a dense plum/garnet/purple color, a sweet nose of roasted espresso, chocolate, spring flowers, blackberries, black currants and new saddle leather, an opulent, voluptuous texture, gorgeous, layered flavors, lots of glycerin, sweet, silky tannin and a phenomenal finish. If you own any of this beauty, don’t hesitate to drink it. Jun 2012, www.robertparker.com