Whatever the future of this Spanish variety is in California, this wine isn’t it. It’s overtly sweet and flabbily soft, lacking the acidity that’s so sorely needed for balance.——S.H.(3/1/2007)—— 82

Simple and soft, this rustic wine has ripe red cherry flavors. It’s very dry, with all kinds of oaky, peppery spices. It’s not an insult to say it’s the perfect upscale cheeseburger red.——S.H.(12/31/2005)—— 84

Very dark, densely layered, and dramatically full-bodied, with its lush, thick tannins and gobs of rich black cherry fruit. Tastes and feels like melted jam, flooding the palate with oozy flavors. But it’s bone dry. The trace of astringency in the finish may go away in a few years.——S.H.(4/1/2004)—— 88