Leathery, earthy and entirely attractive; this is a wine that doesn’t seem to have come off an assembly line. The fruit is power-packed, dealing blackberry and plum along with chocolate and spice. In tasting this it’s hard to find any faults. Only the hard tannins stand out, calling for several years of cellar time. From Vega Sicilia. Drink in 2008. ——M.S.(6/1/2005)—— 91