Vinous - Score: 96 (2003 May)

Full red-ruby. Roasted plum, currant, tobacco and minerals on the nose. Compellingly dense and thick but almost miraculously lively and light on its feet. Has a texture like liquid velvet, coating the entire palate. Wonderfully unmanipulated wine, with perfectly integrated acids giving it superb subtle vinosity and thrust. Finishes with outstanding building persistence, with the substantial tannins perfectly supported by the wine's fat middle.