Ramey's superb single-vineyard offerings have always struck us having a remarkable balance of winemaking richness and high-energy fruit, and so, too, it seems do the winery's appellation bottlings. This impressively crafted effort is shot through with very deep, optimally ripened appley fruit and comes complete with a full measure of keenly fit oak. It is at once both viscous and alive on the palate, and its potent expressions of creamy oak spice, unstinting fruit and real concentration are sustained through a long, wonderfully well-focused finish.