1996

Cain Vineyards and Winery is located in Spring Mountain and was created following the purchase in 1980 by Jerry and Joyce Cain of 550 acres that had formerly belonged to the McCormick Ranch. The initial plantings of vines resulted... Read More

There is an apparent paradox with concentration and movement vying for ascendancy. The structure of the wine is tense and assertive. Its energy almost tactile is contained for a moment before vibrating and exploding. Its opulence... Read More

\"This is unquestionably a profound Grand-Puy-Lacoste it reveals an essence of creme de cassis character which sets it apart from other Pauillacs. The wine is displaying plenty of tannin huge body and sweet black currant fruit... Read More

"More saturated ruby-red. Deep enticing aromas of black raspberry dark chocolate and spicy oak; shows an almost roasted ripeness. Big sweet and rich; a rather powerful style of La Lagune with urgent intensity of flavor. Lovely... Read More

As I suspected the 1996 Lafleur is a painfully backward austere wine that represents a modern day clone of this estate's 1966. It possesses a backward tannic Medoc-like character with none of Pomerol's hallmark generosity.... Read More

One of the sleepers of the 1996 vintage, Lafon-Rochet has turned out an atypically powerful, rich, and concentrated wine bursting with black currant fruit. The opaque purple color gives way to a medium to full-bodied, tannic,... Read More

William Kelley Wine Advocate: From my cellar the 1996 Latour is still a very youthful tightly wound wine unfurling in the glass with notions of blackcurrants loamy soil cigar wrapper and English walnuts. Medium to full-bodied... Read More

The saturated purple-colored 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard offers an attractive nose of black fruits intermixed with toast minerals subtle tar and wood smoke. Full-bodied with impressive purity a multi-layered mid-palate... Read More

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon displays an impressively saturated ruby/purple color and a tight but promising bouquet of licorice black currants and toasty oak. There is more tannin but it is not intrusive. Fleshy with fine purity... Read More

The opaque purple-colored 1996 Harlan Estate reveals extraordinary intensity a spicy black currant tobacco cedar and fruit cake-scented bouquet full body a texture oozing with glycerin and concentrated fruit and moderate tannin... Read More

Dark-colored with good berry and mint aromas and hints of fresh tea leaves. Full-bodied and chewy with serious concentration of ripe tannins and a medium finish. Needs but a bit more fruit intensity to be outstanding.

Smooth ripe rich and polished with a wonderful array of juicy cherry currant plum anise herb mineral and spice flavors all wonderfully orchestrated. Finishes with supple tannins and pretty oak shadings. Best from 2001 through... Read More

Firm tightly wound and austere with a compact band of earth mineral currant sage tea and cherry. Turns tannic and concentrated on the finish where the flavors sail on. Best from 2002 through 2010. 120 cases made. Published on... Read More