There is a solid, firm, substantive feel to this wine, and it shows nice black cherry fruit, with an underpinning of tar, leather and licorice. But it also has some rubbery flavors, that extend into the finish, and it winds up with an unpleasant bitterness that is off-putting. If you like dark, burnt coffee kinds of flavors, this will be just right.——P.G.(11/1/2001)—— 85