I guess this is Hanna's premium bottling. This is on the shelves marked down from $50 to $30 so I thought I'd give it a try. This note is from the second night of having the bottle open (more later).

The color is a very dark moderately opaque red. The nose is quite herbal but hints of underlying sweet cassis and a little coffee. This is very tight on the palate with good concentration, but very noticeable tannins even on the second day. The tannins were very harsh last night, and the nose was much greener then, but both of these components have mellowed out (for the better). The fruit is there, but slightly overpowered by the tannins, and there is ample acidity. It finishes well, and I find that even though I don't love this wine something is bringing me back for more.

I think I understand what they were trying to do with this wine- make a concentration that would allow it to last a decade. The herbal quality is a little too strong IMO and even though the concentration is good I don't think the fruit will outlast the tannin.

I also understand why this is on the sale rack- it has interesting components but it's a difficult wine. Currently I would give this wine about 89 pts, quite good but not great. If I had more I would hold it another 5 years, as I suspect this may come out of its shell. At $30 it may be worth a risk of buying another one or 2 to lay down, but then there are plenty of other wines around.

i just bought 2 of these at your marked down price of $30- i figured for the price it was worth the risk since i liked the regular cab, guess im kind of disappointed by the tone of your note... we'll see if i can last 5 before the 1st bottle , though even before this, i planned them for the offsite

During our visit there in June, this is the only BR bottling that we didn't purchase. The '99 BR Syrah was/is outstanding - as good as the '97 and ready to drink. The '01 BR Cab Franc and Petit Verdot were equally outstanding; that's why they came home w/me. I agree that the '99 BR Cab is an interesting wine, and too young to fully enjoy at this point.

"interesting" wine... hmmmm...

just kidding, thanks for the comments!