Estimate
A towering, statuesque wine...impressive...powerful, dense and explosive, with tremendous energy and sheer power. The dark, muscular intensity of Calistoga comes through loud and clear...magnificent...
...brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, toasted spice, dried soil, and cedar pencil. Classic Cabernet Sauvignon all the way, with full body, ripe, present tannin, and a great finish...
...opens with pronounced cassis, cherries and plums with nuances of menthol, meat, earth and chocolate. Full-bodied and concentrated, it has a firm, grainy frame and a long minty finish.
...sensuous expression of the grape, sanguine in mineral, crushed rock, pencil shaving and oak. Concentrated and densely packed in tannin, it has dried herb and fig as well as a lasting taste of black olive.
This has a ripe edge with baked-berry and dark plum-pastry flavors, carried on a smooth, long and even-paced bed of sweeping tannins...