With Cabernet Sauvignon coming in at a whopping 68% of this blend the wine is full on dark and brooding with an age-ability to go the distance, and let’s not forget the bit players here: Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc (9%) and Petit Verdot (5%) that add those intangibles into the mix (but winemakers like to think of as “seasoning”). The wine spent 16-20 months in up to 80% new wood, coming out silky yet smoky with plum, spiced-cherry, sandalwood and tobacco – making this a very big, but also very elegant wine.  Rating: ****+