"The opaque purple-colored 1997 Eclipse (900 cases of a 65% Grenache, 35% Shiraz blend, from 35-60-year old vines) somehow manages to hide its 16.3% alcohol. The wine offers up cherry/blackberry liqueur-like aromas and flavors, an unctuous texture, and despite its ripeness, size, and richness, does not taste like a heavyweight, late-harvest, pruny wine. It seems to me that vineyards in this viticultural area (Langhorn Creek) can achieve an extraordinarily high degree of alcohol without the pruny flavors often associated with less alcoholic wines. This unfiltered beauty is extremely intense, yet should evolve into a civilized, spectacular Shiraz/Grenache blend that will age well for 10-15+ years. A name to watch for is Drew Noon, who has taken over his father's winery, and apparently hit the bull's eye with everything I tasted in 1997. Noon's wines taste like the essence of their respective varietals, pushing concentration and extract to the limit, although I did not sense that they were over the top. These are wines of extraordinary depth and richness, with amazing upside potential in the bottle." Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, April 1999.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 99
"Saturated ruby. Black raspberry, game, eucalyptus and a note of red berry liqueur. Thick, sweet and highly concentrated, with sound supporting acidity keeping the flavors fresh. Really fills the mouth with dense, superripe fruit. Very long, palate-staining finish; the ripe tannins coat the entire palate. This is a big boy, but I would never have guessed the alcohol was 16+%. 92 points."