Another great evening with Kybo. The '96 Benziger Reserve CS was truly a wonderful example how Sonoma fruit shines through. The fruit was displayed throughout the mouth and the finish was incredible. The tannins and acidity told me that this wine will last at least another 4-5 years. If you like lively fruit I HIGHLY recommend this 1996 Cab. I would rate this wine 93 pts. A+ QPR. I was so impressed with this wine, Kybo gave me a bottle for my personal collection. Kybo thanks again for wonderful generousity. I give Kybo an A+ on the friendship scale.
The '97 Pira Barola at the restaurant, really evolved into a wonderful wine during the meal. I agree with Kybo regarding the powdery tannins and real plum like color and flavor. The long finish really smoothed out and the fruit started to come out in the last half of the bottle. Decanting this really helped. $80 was not cheap, but glad I had this wine with my steak. I would rate this wine 92 pts. I highly recommend that you decant this wine if you plan on drinking this in the near future.
The Australian sweetie was a delightful experience. At $18 I would buy more. The predominant flavor of raisins throughout went great with some Hershey's chocolates and gold raisins that Kybo had at his house. The color of this wine was my favorite part. The bronze and dusty gold reminded me of something that gold hunters in California 100 years ago would have recognized. Pure fun. Until next time.
IW