Swanson employs former winemaker Marco Cappelli to make this nonvintage dessert wine, working with Mission grape vines in the Shenandoah Valley that were planted in 1856 and reside at a 1,300-foot elevation. Cappelli fortified the Mission wine with Brandy, let it all sit in barrel for six years, and used the solera system of blending in four different vintages over time. The result is delicious, a strong essence of cherry, dried fruit and molasses perfectly sippable and balanced.——V.B.(4/1/2012)—— 90