Medium ruby color. Aromas show some subtlety and secondary character, but still have a lot of fresh pungency, with black raspberry and plenty of spice and briar. The palate offers excellent texture, with both richness and balance. The subtlety of 8 years of age is evident, but there is still something vividly grapy about it as well; the combination of subtlety and fresh power is riveting, this is superb wine; still young, with room for improvement but a total delight right now. On the label, the alcohol is 15.4% which tastes correct. Yes, I can feel it a little in the finish, but any lower and some exuberance might be lost, not a tradeoff I would make. Brilliant! Rated 95, up to 2 points of improvement possible. I think I have 2 bottles left, feels like 2 more years before I pop the next one.
Dan Kravitz