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Tasting notes
Bright ruby-red. Musky black raspberry, espresso, mocha and caramel on the nose. Plush, seamless and strong; wonderfully energetic, delineated dark raspberry, tobacco and mocha flavors are lifted by a floral element. Finishes with terrific breadth, grip and lift, but the very firm, serious, palate-saturating tannins do not come off as dry. Like a powerful version of a Pomerol. Quite spicy throughout, especially on the subtly rising finish. Has plenty of structure for a long life in bottle. (ST)
Critic scores
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Full ruby-red. Knockout nose melds musky brown spices, iron, flowers and smoked meat, along with an exotic suggestion of white fruits. Broad, ripe and classically dry, with a palate-coating texture like liquid velvet. Strong underlying minerality gives energy and definition to this compellingly rich and pliant wine. The extremely long finish shows an exhilarating building sweetness and noble tannins.
Saturated bright ruby-red. Cassis, blueberry and exotic tropical chocolate on the nose. Dense, sweet and extremely primary, with outstanding depth to the dark fruit, mineral and chocolate flavors. Wonderfully silky for such a young and fresh wine. The resounding, perfumed finish features perfectly distributed tannins and superb length. I'd love to show this merlot-based blend to some producers in Pomerol.
About the producer
The winery was the dream of Jess Jackson, the man who founded the incredibly successful Jackson Family Wines. He, however, wanted to produce truly fine wine in Sonoma County.