Medium ruby and starting to brick. Beautiful perfume of tart cherries, anise, leather, smoke, game and tobacco. A note of coffee emerges after two hours. The complexity on the nose is astounding, and like a fine Burgundy, I could smell this for hours on end. Elegant and concentrated, and starting to develop a silky texture. Mouthfilling dark fruit flavors fan out on the palate in layers, leading to a long finish. Slight tannins at the end call for several more years in the cellar. The '96 CVNE Vina Real Gran Reserva, drunk three times, is just as good, albeit more supple at this stage.