Nice purple, red color. Beautiful floral nose. Rose and violet. Pomegranate, plum, spicy-perfume. Intense ripe raspberry and white pepper spice. Sweet vanilla-oak on palate melds nicely with perception of sweet fruit. Excellent silky texture and tannin structure. Almost as rich as '95 or '94. Still somewhat youthful, yet this wine could be opened and enjoyed for its sweet fruit and silky texture now. Should continue to evolve over the next 10 years. A real sleeper.