1999 Pride Mountain "Reserve" Napa Valley Claret

“The micro-cuvee (about 200 cases) of 1999 Reserve Claret (two-thirds Merlot and one-third Cabernet Sauvignon) is awesome! This candidate for "wine of the vintage" spent 24 months in both old and new French oak. It boasts an opaque purple color in addition to a sumptuous, sweet bouquet of espresso, blackberries, cassis, maple syrup, and vanilla. It is long, layered, multidimensional, sweet, and thick on the palate, possessing an unctuosity and concentration that must be tasted to be believed. Nevertheless, it is well-balanced and incredibly pure as well as long. (RP)” (08/2002)

“Good deep ruby-red. Sexy oak tones of mocha, nutmeg and mace, brown sugar and grilled nuts, along with dark berries and tobacco on the nose. Sweet, dense, oaky and lush; very rich but also very polished wine. Very long on the aftertaste, with extremely fine-grained tannins. (ST) 93+” (05/2002)

“Rich, complex and exotic, with tempting spice and dark fruit aromas and layers of currant, black cherry, mocha, sandalwood and cherry flavors that are sharply focused, long and intense on the finish. Relies on Merlot (60 percent) for its grace and elegance, with Cabernet (35 percent) giving it backbone. Also has 5 percent Petit Verdot. (JL)” (08/2003)