Good lord this is some delicious wine! I pop a bottle every two years. This one did not last long at a Halloween party Saturday night, but my practice these days (with bottles to be consumed that night - not gifts) is to cork, strain into decanter, let breath for an hour while I wash the bottle, filter back into the bottle, taste and re-cork. After a bad experience with a '97 BV Tapestry last year, I am determined not to take tainted bottles to dinner parties any longer.
Anyway... Explosive dark, dark fruits - blackberry, creme de cassis, and black cherry - lush, plump and viscous. Wonderful sweetness that I have read is attributable to the wood, but without any vanilla or heat - definitely not over-the-top in sweetness. Cedar on the nose and cedar on the long reverberating finish where well-integrated tannins weigh in. The cedar is new since my 2002 tasting. This wine is likely at its peak, but far from beyond it. If you've got guts, wait another 1-2 years and let us all know. 94 points.
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