1988 Philip Togni, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Estate Bottled

Very dark garnet, with just a little brownish edge. Big nose with cherry, tobacco, and chassis aromas. Concentrated forward fruit with flavors of cherry, tobacco, and spices, with just a hint of herbal flavors, high acid, soft tannins, and a long smooth, fruity finish. This Philip Togni is a vast improvement on the 1986 and 1987 I tasted earlier this year. It has a hint of the green bean flavors that dominated the 1986 and 1987, but here they are integrated with lots of cherry fruit and it seems to add to the complexity rather than ruin the wine. This one tastes completely mature, and there is no need to cellar it any longer. My rating 89.