94
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
The '02 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve
may not equal the fabulous concentration and intensity of
the '01, but it’s not far off the mark. It is a fruit-forward,
softer, more flamboyant, already seductive effort displaying
gorgeous notes of chocolaty creme de cassis, some spicy, high-quality,
toasty oak, a rich, plush, savory, expansive mid-palate, and
a long, heady finish with elevated glycerin and plenty of
sweet tannin and fruit. This wine is delicious yet promises
to age gorgeously for 15-20 years. Ed Sbragia compares it
to the '92 which, by the way, is drinking superbly in '05,
but is one of those rare vintages that has never gone through
a closed period. It’s always a fascinating education
to taste through these component parts, but the resulting
blend that Ed Sbragia puts together, the extraordinary Private
Reserve, is one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of California
and he has fashioned a succession of beauties since '91. In
fact, there are two gorgeous ones in the market, the profound
'01 and the flamboyant, exotic '02.
Drink '05- '25.
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