This classic Alexander Valley wine is soft and gentle throughout, and in this great vintage it packs so much compelling flavor that it merits the high score. The blackcurrant and cassis fruit is huge and sweetly delicious, easily able to handle tons of new oak. Yet the tannins add a textural dimension. There’s a charm and elegance to the wine that belies its considerable complexity and ageability.——S.H.(12/31/2003)—— 94