This bright, dark ruby-colored wine is exceptional. Its enticing nose reveals extraordinarily refined aromas of a myriad of flowers soaked in cherries, blueberries and traces of sweet mocha. This oily-textured, full-bodied, perfectly harmonious, and compellingly delineated wine could not be any more elegant. It possesses awesome depth, concentration, and purity in its violet and cherry cream pie-flavored personality. Moreover, its formidably long finish displays a strong yet satiny backbone. I predict it will evolve magnificently. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2014+. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; tel (212) 818-0770.

Very good deep red-ruby. Black cherry, boysenberry, rose petal, licorice, minerals, shoe polish, mint and white pepper on the nose. Extremely unyielding today in the middle palate, and dominated by its rather large structure. Exotic hints of citrus fruit keep the flavors bright and sharp. Then extremely long and authoritative on the back end. A wine of great potential, but it's all nose and finish today. May ultimately merit a considerably higher score.