1989 l'Arrosee

Rich, smooth, deep and complex, with layers of plum, currant, spice and vanilla flavors all woven together with a measure of subtlety and finesse. Firmly tannic and oaky, too, but comes across as soft and fleshy. Drinkable now. 5,000 cases made. – Wine Spectator 1992

Both vintages of L'Arrosee performed slightly better than my original tastings. The 1989 surprised me, as it had been consistently underwhelming in previous tastings. I am a huge fan of this estate's wines, but I have never been enamored of the loosely-jointed, diluted 1989. The wine appears to have pulled itself together, although there is more aggressive tannin in the finish than I would like to see. The 1989 exhibits a dark ruby color, with slight lightening at the edge, as well as plenty of earthy, black-cherry fruit nicely touched by sweet, toasty oak. It exhibited more richness, glycerin, intensity, and precision than it has in previous tastings. It can be drunk now as well as over the next decade. Feb 1997, www.robertparker.com