2003 Cadence Bel Canto

(50% cabernet franc, 40% merlot and 10% petit verdot) Good full red. Captivating aromas of tobacco, espresso, chocolate, flint and rose petal. Very suave on entry, then intense, focused and brisk, with red berry and mineral flavors lifted by a floral element and given superb energy by firm but ripe acids. This has grip of steel. Finishes minerally, firmly tannic and very long. Smith cherry-picked his best barrels to make this wine, which features the highest acidity of his 2003 releases.