February 28, 2024 - 10th of 12, opened an hour then splash decanted, perfect level, cork third stained, turning quite brown on rim, flavours now becoming much more harmonious and layered but underlying tannins although softening still unresolved, fine length and persistence, upside yet in this super vintage, 10+ years. F+ (18).
January 12, 2023 - Solid cork. Quite dark color. Very mature nose - with overwhelming notes of balsamic and not much else. Much fresher on the palate but with a great deal more tar than roses. Tannins still quite raw, gripping the gums with real persistent dryness. Good length. There is also some new wood here. Lacks the florality and elegance of Cannubi as well as its fine grained tannin. Not sure what to make of this. Ultimately, though not flawed, it is today not a particularly joyous experience to drink this. Bought on release.
Next day - More composed; less explosively balsamic on the nose; still marked by the new wood; much more enjoyable. Reinforcing the need for a long decant.
June 18, 2021 - This case definitely showed bottle variation, with this bottle fully mature and moving into over-maturity. This was very much apparent in the nose which majored on earth and mushroom. Better on the palate with more complexity and the fruit still hanging in there, albeit more tertiary. Tannins still rather grippy.
Caught this bottle whilst still alive, enjoyable and interesting (the wine that is, I'm not sure I've ever been interesting). However unlike some of the recent bottles that have been good, this one would never have found that peak of shedding the tannins before the flavours fully develop.
January 23, 2020 - 9th of 12, decanted 90 minutes, perfect cork and level, unchanged since bottle noted in 14, attractive purity to the fruit, suaver than the more thug like Anselma Adasi 96 on same night, seems young still. F+ (18).
August 11, 2018 - Still fairly young, a little herbal, but with a good depth of fruit, a touch of tar, and plenty of ripe tannin. It demands aeration now, and even a few hours after a vigorous double decant it continued to open up and expand in the glass.
May 13, 2018 - Slightly stinky on opening, but that quickly blew off and this bottle in good shape.
Typical floral/tar/cherry nose with a little fig.
Still great freshness / depth to the fruit, which is carried well by quite vibrant acidity. Tannins are fine and supportive, though do combine with the acidity to give the wine some grip.
For me this is a little immature still, though the brains of the operation prefers them at this point in their development. Definitely no crime to drink now.
April 19, 2018 - Corked.
February 19, 2018 - This was awesome. Gave this an hour of air, but did not decant. High acid. Lovely, aromatic nose. Lots of spice and cherry on a medium length finish.
September 19, 2017 - Cork soaked halfway up.
Very attractive (classical) nose of tar and roses plus some supportive meatiness and a little violet.
Still some notable grip on the palate, mostly through tannins, but also the supportive acidity. Indeed the tannins give a slightly bitter kick to the finish, appetising with food, but might detract for some.
Still plenty of upside here, cork permitting.
July 1, 2017 - A modest band of brick-orange at the rim, but looking healthy @ 21.
Quite strident tar on the nose, but undercut by cherry, floral & spicy sweetness with a hint of marzipan.
Despite some still grippy tannins coming through on the finish, this is reasonably open, with tar again initially assertive but with the sweetness of the fruit emerging, albeit with less complexity than on the nose. Acidity fairly firm helping keep it fresh but also increasing the grip on the finish.
Still on the upslope, so I should let the other bottles rest for a few more years