Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

Rating: 89/100 - As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 84, May/June 1999 Good full ruby-red. Plum, raspberry jam, blackberry liqueur, and spicy, smoky oak on the nose; slightly syrupy in the style of the vintage. Plump and soft in the middle, but given shape by a slight edge of acidity. Good but not outstanding depth. A bit dry on the finish, with an earthy note. Not quite as fresh as a sample I tasted from barrel a year ago.

This wine has a beautiful deep ruby color. The nose gives you a combination of sweet ripe Cabernet fruit and some racy spiciness. The fruit from this vineyard consistently produces wines with a black cherry and currant character and this vintage shows this as well. In the mouth, the wine is lively but very soft and elegant. The black cherry carries through on the palate with almost no sign of tannin and a rather lengthy finish. This is an easy-to-drink wine with a lot of finesse and can be enjoyed without much bottle age. -Heidi Peterson Barrett, Winemaker

Rating: 88/100 - As reviewed by Wine Spectator on 09/30/99

Rating: 89/100 - As reviewed by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar on May-99