Half Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and just 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is the formula for this thick, heavy-set Bordeaux blend. It carries the weight handily, showing plummy, sweet fruit and lots of mocha flavor from aging in 80% new oak. Soft, thick tannins lead into a smooth, flavorful finish. —P.G.
— P.G.
(4/1/2002)
Lots of ripe apple and tropical fruits, lots of butterscotch and caramel flavors, but not too heavy. Good balance, good acids, a very appealing, forward style which isn’t too oaky or heavy for food.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)
Sweet, grapey fruit, plum and cherry, enhanced with peppery spice. The tannins are a bit ashy, but well integrated; with not too much oak. Overall, a balanced and elegant approach.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)
A pretty nose, plummy and rich, with a nice toasty, roasted finish. Elegant and medium bodied, in a ripe year like this the fruit gets past all unripe flavors and into some nice, slightly leafy, pretty fruit with hints of cherry tobacco.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)
A softer, more forward style than the Old Stage, showing more density and soft tannins. Light cherry fruit, good balance, texture, weight. Some hints of wood, earth and mineral too.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)
The fruit shows pears, some high tones, some bitter rind. The style is fruit forward, with flavors of pears and citrus, leading to a light, toasty finish.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)
Valley View has made this wine in a consistent style for over a decade: pick the fruit as ripe as possible and give it a generous amount of new oak. Some nice spicy clove and cinnamon scents light up the nose; but the oak is dominant to the point of harshness.
— P.G.
(2/1/2002)
This is a light and leafy effort, whose soft and forward fruit mixes flavors of leaf, beet, tomato and red fruits. It is balanced but insubstantial.
— P.G.
(8/1/2002)