2001 Reserve Claret

Blackish ruby. Very ripe, borderline bretty. But lovely ripeness and mellowness on the palate. Extremely flattering. No awkward dryness but a bit too ripe. Lacks definition. Blind guess: valley. Revealed location: mountain. (JR)

Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines roasted black raspberry, cassis, espresso and bitter chocolate. Sweet, fat and deep, with extravagantly rich, seamless flavors of dark berries and chocolate. Not as sweet as the Mountaintop merlot but even larger-scaled. The finish shows more obvious cabernet tannins and considerable sweet oak, but has more than enough powerful, palate-staining fruit. As a potential purchase, this is a no-brainer for collectors who can find and afford it.