95 Wine Advocate

The 1996 Proprietary Red (a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) is not a very weighty (14.3% alcohol) offering. It has become more delineated with a year of bottle age, offering up classic creme de cassis, smoked meat, coffee, prune, and toasty new oak scents. Concentrated, with fabulously high extract, sweet tannin, and full body, this wine has an elegant feel on the palate, but is still a blockbuster. (RP) (1/2000)

91 International Wine Cellar

Deep ruby. Very rich aromas of black fruits, minerals, toffee and mint. Big, brooding and tightly wrapped, with firm acids currently dominating the fruit. Notes of mint and shoe polish. But very long on the back end, with substantial, suave tannins. Sharply focused Cabernet-based wine. (ST) (5/1998)