($150; 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc) Bright ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black plum, licorice, chocolate and menthol; slightly reduced. Sweet, lush, broad and deep, with black cherry, mocha and cocoa powder flavors complicated by a balsamic note. Finishes with dusty, building tannins.

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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 cousinâ?� of the 2001, only softer and more flamboyant. Classically Californian in its exuberant, flamboyant, super-rich, unctuously textured style, the tannins are softer than in the 2001, but the wine unquestionably has the potential to last for another quarter of a century. It exhibits an opaque plum/purple color along with abundant notes of cassis, licorice, graphite, coffee cake and spice box. More approachable than the 2001, the 2002 will offer phenomenal drinking over the next 25 years.

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