The 2005 Legacy Proprietary Red, a nearly 1,500-case cuvée, is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 17 months in 91% new French oak. The wine tastes incredibly young. It feels more like a three- to four-year old North Coast Cabernet than one that is about to pass ten years. Very dense purple to the rim, its opulent, generous, open-knit bouquet of lead pencil shavings, blackcurrants, cedar wood, vanilla and spice, good acidity, sweet tannin, and full-bodied, voluptuous body give this wine tremendous appeal. Still, there is serious upside that remains. Although quite accessible already, it promises to be even better in another 3-4 years and should keep at least three decades.
- Robert M. Parker, Jr. (2015)
