Tasted this one blind yesterday alongside the 1999 Martinelli Reserve and 1999 Ken Wright abbey Ridge Vineyard. Procedures are in the Martinelli thread. I believe WS recently rated this one a 92.

Initial taste, approximately 1/2 hour after opening: This wine was the darkest of the three, passing the red zone into purple. On the nose, which was very reticent, were red fruits, a hint of black cherry and floral notes. Weakest nose of the three. On the palate, the red fruits were dominant, especially strawberry and raspberry. Almost tart. Body is relatively thin, with a big hole in the middle. Spicy oak predominant on the finish, which was between the Martinelli and Ken Wright in length. Mrs. mbansek noted strawberry on the nose and palate, but observed the wine was thinner and weaker than the other two. Not enjoyable at this point.

1-1/2 hours after decanting: On the nose, this one is still very restrained. Still picking up the black cherry and floral notes, with the addition of a little vanilla? On the palate, this has filled out nicely, I would now describe it as medium bodied for a pinot. Red berries, with a little bit of black cherry mixed in. Nice finish length of spicy oak. At this point, the oak is still a little overwhelming to me. Mrs. mbansek describes the nose as weak, describes the finish as acidic. We may be describing the same thing using different descriptors.

3 hours after decanting: Nose is still very restrained, but with the same aromas as the last note. The body is again thinner, though not as thin as the first note. The oak and spices on the finish have become more pronounced. Mrs. mbansek describes this as much spicier than the other two, though it is now her favorite (by far).

4-1/2 hours after decanting and later: No more formal notes. However, this wine has now become very enjoyable, even to me. The wine has definitely filled out, though the nose remains weak. The spicy oak finish is much better integrated than the prior times. The fruits now seem in beautiful balance beginning around the five hour mark. This was by far mrs. mbansek's favorite wine of the night.

My rating for this again depends on the time. This wine was definitely too young to me, I would not recommend trying it without decanting for at least four to five hours. Earlier than that and the wine was thin and the oak too overpowering. If I had to give it a rating, I would grudgingly say 88-90, but would like to revisit this wine 3-5 years down the road. Mrs. mbansek loves this today.

Mike