Tasting Notes from JUSTIN Master Sommelier Joe Spellman Our 2007 ISOSCELES offers an opaque, dense purple-black core with barely perceptible color change to the rim, indicating extraordinarily high extract and viscosity. The nose is variable over a several minute review: black and blue fruit, firm but inviting oak notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a sense of just-roasted dark-roast coffee beans. Later, a note of dark cocoa; a dash of black pepper; a drop of vanilla. The palate reveals an immensely flavored wine, repeating the black fruit intensity and powerful tannins typical of this brilliant vintage. The finish is stately, regal, long. This gorgeous ISOSCELES is the most cellar-worthy since the legendary 1997. Hooray! 89 pts from Robert Parker!

In any event, the 2007 Isosceles Reserve is a powerful effort that seemed very closed when I tasted it. It will not be released until later this year, so I hope to get another look at it in 6-7 months. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, it is dense and concentrated, but the tannins seem slightly rustic, and the wine is firm, hard, and austere. However, there is enormous concentration and extract underneath the framework of this big, dense wine. FEB 2010 ISSUE OF THE WINE ADVOCATE