Chateau de Campuget's 1998 Syrah Prestige has fulfilled the promise it held in barrel. (This wine was first reviewed in the Wine Advocate's Issue 127). It bears the same label as this estate's regular red wine bottling, yet can be easily differentiated because it is in a Burgundy-shaped bottle, and has a back label that indicates "Syrah Prestige". Harvested at 30 hectoliters per hectare and aged entirely in new oak barrels and demi-muids, this dark ruby-colored wine offers dense black fruit and freshly-laid asphalt aromas. Firmly-structured, highly-extracted, thick, full-bodied, and intense, it is crammed with blackberries, tar, as well as cassis liqueur-like flavors. It is an excellent value. Projected maturity: 2003-2008. Importer: ROBERT KACHER SELECTIONS, 2015 Vine Street NE, Washington, DC 20018; tel. (202) 832-9083; fax (202) 529-2579