The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Melbury, which comes from a hillside vineyard site near Lake Hennessey, is showing even better than it did in its youth. Probably years away from full maturity, the wine has an extraordinary aromatic... Read More
The 2002 St. Eden, which comes from a valley floor vineyard in the Oakville corridor, is unreal. I had given the 2001 a perfect score, but the 2002 (made by the brain trust of on-site winemaker Bob Levy and outside French consultant... Read More
The 2002 Vecina comes from a vineyard not far from the steep hillsides of Harlan Estate, on the western hills of the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Oakville corridor and the eastern hillsides. This is a much earthier, spicier,... Read More
The extraordinary Harlan Estate, which I awarded 100 points seven years ago, offers no justifiable reason to doubt its perfect score. It is still a baby, with an inky purple color and notes of smoky camphor intermixed with creme... Read More
I tend to think that recent vintages of Opus One are even greater than vintages made during this era, but the 2002 is certainly one of the top wines Opus has produced during the early part of this century. It boasts a dense plum/purple... Read More
A great, great success (and of course, this is Knight's Valley material), the 2002 Les Pavots, which I loved from barrel as well as bottle, still has a good 20+ years of life ahead of it. At this point, it is tasting like... Read More
The 2002 Monte Bello Proprietary Red is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. It tastes as if it hasn't changed since I first sampled it in late 2003 and then again in bottle two years later. The... Read More
A blend of 93% Merlot / 7% Cabernet Franc (92% from the Alexander Mountain Estate, 6% from Bennett Valley and 2% from Knight's Valley), the 2002 La Muse is a "kissing cousin" of the 2001, only softer and more flamboyant. Classically... Read More