The 2002 Ripper Creek (a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz), from 15-year-old vines, spent time in old French and American oak. A surprising effort of considerable individuality, it exhibits notions of scorched earth, blueberries, black currants, and licorice. With tremendous intensity, full-bodied power, and beautifully integrated acidity and tannin, and no evidence of wood, it is a gorgeously textured red (a characteristic of all the Rusden offerings) that can be drunk young or cellared for a decade or more. Importer: Dan Philips, The Grateful Palate, Oxnard, CA; tel. (888) 472-5283