What lacks in power it makes up for with finesse. Lean and soft, it has bright aromas and flavors of black cherry and black pepper.

There are abundant quantities of jammy black cherries and raspberries, intermixed with pepper and toasty oak in this medium to full-bodied yet elegant wine.

The 1995 Sanchietti Vineyard Pinot Noir is slightly less complex as well as shorter in the mouth, but I tasted it at an early stage of its development.

...light, crisp, medium-bodied wine that faded in the finish. Nevertheless, there is enough up-front honeysuckle-scented and flavored fruit to provide pleasent drinking over the next year.

...crisp, tart, spicy, peppery, light to medium-bodied.

It reveals tart acidity (too high for my palate), as well as attractive berry, cherry, cola, and herb-like flavors in its light to medium-bodied style. It is a fresh, lively Merlot ...

...it finishes with shrill acidity. and comes across as compressed and lean. It will undoubtedly dry out before it ever blossoms.

...exhibits a more saturated ruby color, and a pleasing red currant, "Petit Bordeaux"-like personality with some ripeness, medium body, and a soft style.

The straightforward, medium-bodied, berry-scented and flavored…

The wine is drier than previous examples, with a pleasant, crisp, melony, and tropical fruit-scented nose, honeyed, light-bodied flavors, and a clean finish. This is more than just a serviceable wine, it is a pleasant example of lighter-styled, fruit-driven Chardonnay. Drink it over the next year.

.possesses copious quantities of sweet blackcurrant, licorice-tinged, black cherry fruit in its aromatics and flavors. Full-bodied, deep, and moderately tannic, this wine rolls across the palate with a layered effect. Moreover, the tannin tastes sweeter and the fruit even richer than in the Veeder bottling.

.boasts an opaque purple color, followed by thick, dense, black cherry and cassis flavors nicely dosed with high quality, smoky oak. Made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), with the balance Merlot, the wine is full-bodied, with impressive extraction and purity. There remains tannin to shed in this high class, beautifully endowed and structured wine that should be at its best between 2000-2025.

.reveals the Howell Mountain terroir in its earthy, violet, black currant/crème de cassis fruitiness. It possesses high tannin, and a linear, medium to full-bodied personality with plenty of firmness, grip, and structure. Lay this one away for the next 4-5 years, and enjoy it over the subsequent two decades!

It is an accessible, multi-layered wine with tons of licorice and black fruit flavors, a voluptuous texture, and an expressive, flamboyant personality that offers even more rich fruit than it does toasty oak. At 14.2% alcohol, this is a boldly-styled, fleshy, full-bodied wine that can be drunk or cellared for 15 years.

...gets my nod over the 1996, simply because it is a richer, more multidemnsional wine with excellent vibrancyto its smoky, cherry fruit flavors.

...a dead ringer for a high class Burgundy. This wine exhibits a smoky, honeyed citrus, orange rind, lusciously fruity personality with underlying minerals. Add to that impressive delineation that is rare for a wine if this richness and size. Still youthful and backward, it promises to evolve gracefully for 2-5 years.

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, much like its Merlot counterpart, is even more powerful and fuller-bodied, with impressive levels of extract, as well as a forward, low acid, richly fruity character emphasizing plenty of smoke, chocolate, black cherry, and cassis fruit. Despite its preciousness, this Cabernet is a candidate for 15+ years of cellaring, although it will be drinkable upon release.

Although unevolved and grapey, it reveals enormous density of fruit, richness, and concentration. A real powerhouse, with no hard edges, it possesses low acidity and layers of fleshy, glycerin-imbued Zinfandel fruit. It should drink well for 7-8 years.

.medium to full-bodied, elegant wine with high tannin, plenty of power and richness (primarily minerals and cassis), but it is unevolved and extremely backward. This wine has impressive raw materials, and should round into shape with another 5-7 years of cellaring. It will no be the most flattering style of Cabernet, but for true wine aficionados who have the discipline to wait, it holds considerable promise.

...to be a promising white Graves look-alike. It is primarily Sauvignon Blanc, but there is a healthy dose of Semillon added to fatten the wine, and give it a creamier texture. It is a boldly-styled, pure, lush, medium to full-bodied dry

The opaque plum-colored 1995 Merlot is a thick wine with compelling scents of roasted coffee, chocolate cake, smoky oak, and rich, jammy fruit. A blend of 84% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc, this wine is ideal for drinking now and over the next dozen years.

The 1995 Chardonnay offers a Burgundian-like earthy, mineral personality, with smoked hazelnut, rich, buttery popcorn, and tropical fruit scents. The wine is medium to full-bodied, rich, and well-delineated by zesty acidity in addition to the influence of high quality French barrels.

.copious quantities of tropical fruit intermixed with butter, honey, and toasty oak. In the mouth, this spicy wine reveals excellent balance, honeyed citrus and fruit cocktail-like flavors, and a lush, rich, fleshy, personality.

...is a terrific example of this varietal. It offers up copious quantities of raspberry, black cherry, briery fruit with smoky, toasty new oak in the background. Dense and full-bodied, wonderful exuberance and lushness, it should drink well for 3-4 years.