An elegant, pretty Quinault, the 2004 displays a dense ruby/purple color along with a big, rich nose of licorice, black raspberries, cherries, and spice. This blend of 71% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec possesses an excellent texture, beautiful elegance and complexity, and no hard edges. A seamlessly made, supple-textured, evolved, forward effort, it can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years. This is a very strong effort in a challenging vintage.