1994 Ravenswood Merlot Sangiacomo Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (1/4/2020)
From the 2019 Ravenswood library sale, the cork was pristine, with no staining at all. Ruby red color with only a tiny bit of edge bricking promised good things. Aromatically it was quite interesting, as it still had California-ripe red fruit, but also tobacco and green pepper pyrazine notes that sent me to Bordeaux. The fruit ripeness carried through to the palate, and was accompanied by the tobacco and a leathery/earthy flavor. Held up very well over the two hours I followed it. I left about 1/3 of the bottle to see how it holds on, as I have one more, and it will help me decide whether to drink very soon, or just near term. Excellent 25 year old California Merlot!