Deep crimson. So well mannered and defect-free that you have to coax it out of the glass. Round and gentle. Quite sweet. You could drink this without food, though it vibrates with health. A particularly successful vintage for this wine in my book.

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The dense ruby/purple-colored 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection reveals an overlay of sweet, toasty new oak intermixed with blackberries, currants, and vanilla with hints of tar, chocolate, and espresso. This big, sweet, juicy Cabernet is not the most complex effort. It is overt, flamboyant, and consumer-friendly. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. This Cabernet hardly represents cutting edge winemaking, but it remains immensely popular with most consumers.

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Dark, rich and intense, a vibrant, deeply concentrated and firmly tannic style. Young and tight, this wine packs in lots of rich, chocolaty plum, black currant, cherry, anise and sage and herbal flavors. Really revs up the flavors on the finish, with unfolding layers of complexity and depth. 1,800 cases made.

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Rich dark color, slight herbal notes. Good but not great, particularly for the price and with all the hype.