The lavishly-oaked, hedonistically-styled 1996 exhibits a dark plum/purple color. The nose offers up sweet jammy fruit (primarily black currants and cherries) intermixed with toasty new oak. Medium-bodied, with excellent, nearly outstanding richness, a nicely-layered mid-palate, and sweet tannin in the long finish, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age, and should last for 15+ years.