Decanted 3 hours. Rugged notes of peat and leather mix with wild strawberry and deeper red fruits. Nicely balanced, but it seems like it has more complexity yet to give. This can still benefit from bottle age. Drink now-2020.
Decanted 1 hour, returned to bottle for 7 hours, then decanted again for 2 hours. Initially tons of wet gravel on the nose, then more oak spice, flowers, and dark red fruit. Very modern, creamy mouthfeel. This would appreciate several years of bottle age. Drink 2017-2025.
Decanted 1 hour, returned to bottle for 7 hours, then decanted again for 2 hours. Even with that treatment it took its time opening up and was at its best in the last glass. Reductive blueberry and raspberry initially on the nose, this bottle was more fruit-forward than previous ones but would probably have performed slightly better with more decanting. Drink 2015-2025.
Decanted 8 hours. Young nose, intense red mix of cherry and exotic fruits, and quite herbal with fresh microgreens. This is concentrated and masculine but already displaying an expansive palate of ripe, textured red fruit. With time, it will surely pick up more nuances. Clearly very good, but also young. 94+ Drink 2018-2030.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
(1/24/2015)
Decanted 5 hours. This was exceptional, and it made a good run at the '04 Pleiade but just wasn't quite up to that level. But if I had to select a wine to drink every night of the week, it would be this one. Its fruit is redder (not as black as Barossa usually is) with ideal ripeness and sweetness. As I noted previously, it has that unmistakable Rusden-made quality. It has great balance for a wine of this stature. Drink now-2030.
Decanted 5 hours. This has been great in the past, but this bottle wasn't quite. I think with heavily oaked wines such as this, the potential for bottle variation is greater. In this case, the oak influences that were pleasing in past bottles presented as excessive spice, and the fruit was slightly muted and astringent. Still an excellent wine, and I hope my remaining bottles have at least one more freak performance in them. Drink now-2021.
Decanted 5 hours. This was quite a pleasure, and impressive to be as expressive as it was when in comparison to other more mature wines it at the tasting. There's an unmistakable soy/Teriyaki sauce component, meaty, bloody, and textured. This wine was a clear contender for wine of the night, but ultimately I think it was a few years too young, and its finish came across a bit too clipped. All the components are there, it just needs a couple years to come together. Drink 2017-2025.
Decanted 5 hours. This was on its game tonight yet again. Pure, rich, balanced—no need to say more. It held its own and ultimately defeated a very impressive lineup of top-class Shiraz. Drink now-2018.
1998 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
(1/23/2015)
Decanted 3 hours. Rugged notes of peat and leather mix with wild strawberry and deeper red fruits. Nicely balanced, but it seems like it has more complexity yet to give. This can still benefit from bottle age. Drink now-2020.
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