This wine possesses a youthful, dark ruby/purple color with no amber. It is closed aromatically, with damp earth, new oak, and curranty fruit poking its head through the overlay of tannin. Both the acidity and tannin are high, but the wine appears to possess the requisite richness to stand up to the structure, offering a fine mid-range, impressive expansiveness, admirable richness, a full-bodied texture, and sweet fruit. As the wine sat in the glass, the tart acids became slightly more prevalent, making me uncertain as to whether this wine will ever achieve total harmony. Although it is still young, with impressive individual components, I am not totally convinced this will develop into an outstanding wine. It should continue to drink well for 8-15 years.The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.