The prodigious 1998 Shiraz/Mourvedre Black Sock (80% Shiraz and 20% Mourvedre from 60-100 year old vines) is a blockbuster. Aged for a whopping 30 months in American wood, this opaque purple-colored wine offers an almost essence of blackberry and cherry fruit intermixed with earth, leather, charcoal, and new wood. The wine is full-bodied, spectacularly concentrated, with multiple levels to its mid-palate, and a whoppingly powerful, rich finish. I was surprised to learn that the wine only has 13.5% alcohol, given the huge swath it cuts across the palate. Anticipated maturity: now-2018.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #135, Jun 2001)