A solid effort from this fine winery, from a vintage everyone is increasingly admitting was more difficult than it looked. It’s as middle of the road as you can get. It strikes all the right notes in terms of ripe, polished black-currant fruit, anise and smoky oak, yet never quite achieves complexity. Nonetheless there’s enough harmony and juiciness to satisfy. ——S.H.(12/15/2000)—— 87