1999 Pride Mountain Claret Napa Valley Reserve

The micro-cuvee (about 200 cases) of 1999 Reserve Claret (two-thirds Merlot and one-third Cabernet Sauvignon) is awesome! This candidate for "wine of the vintage" spent 24 months in both old and new French oak. It boasts an opaque purple color in addition to a sumptuous, sweet bouquet of espresso, blackberries, cassis, maple syrup, and vanilla. It is long, layered, multidimensional, sweet, and thick on the palate, possessing an unctuosity and concentration that must be tasted to be believed. Nevertheless, it is well-balanced and incredibly pure as well as long. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Tel. (707) 963-4949; Fax (707) 963-6039

(roughly two-thirds merlot and one-third cabernet sauvignon, but also includes 5% petit verdot) Good deep ruby-red. Sexy oak tones of mocha, nutmeg and mace, brown sugar and grilled nuts, along with dark berries and tobacco on the nose. Sweet, dense, oaky and lush; very rich but also very polished wine. Very long on the aftertaste, with extremely fine-grained tannins.