Just a fantastic effort, and a truly surprising wine. The color is medium garnet, with very little intensity, and speaks of a light wine. So wrong, so wrong. The nose positively bursts with black cherries, spice box, tobacco, coffee and vanilla-tinged oak. The palate is a powerful blend of fruit, earth, game, tar, spice and violets, intermingled with supple tannins and oak. The only thing holding this wine back was the alcohol heat on the nose. Still, a lovely wine.