May 12, 2016 - See my other notes. This wine sings and is amazing right now.
February 27, 2015 - Puzzling to say the least: at first (3 hours after opening) it seemed tired, with aromas of dry flower and leaves, resin, a trace of smokiness (I would say ash) and very little fruit (some sour cherry maybe).
Good but not full in body, it showed medium tannins and a notable acidity, but I thought it had already past its glorious days. The day after, drinking what had remained in the bottle, red fruit aromas had become stronger, more defined, and a pungent aroma of Japanese plum had developed, leaving an impression of elegance, solidity and mature strength. Raspberry and clover scents lingered on the palate after swallowing.
What can I say? Wine like these should be sold with an instruction manual!
Outstanding, but very complicated.
September 22, 2014 - Divine ... absolutely great wine. It is ready to drink now and I'm not sure how much longer it will hold on, so drink this beautiful wine. Very subtle, light, with great fruit, freshness, acidity, finish ... just delicious!
December 19, 2009 - This wine is absolutely amazing, even though it is not for everyone, as it is a very fine and layered experience. After 11 years, the wine is at its peak, but shows no sign of slowing down. The first thing I noticed was the nose -- I literally could sit for an hour, just smelling this wine. Beautiful, floral, light nose with lots of very slight hints of herbs, but very subtle. Everything about this wine is subtle, so if you're going to drink this, be ready to pay attention to it. This was the first wine in a long lineup of wines that got progressively "bigger" and even though we had planned to have this as the first wine with our main course, everyone at the dinner table decided to simply drink this wine by itself, as it was so pretty and was an experience all by itself. The finish is long, acidity is just at the right level. All in all, this wine was well worth the cost, if you appreciate delicate wines like that.
We set one glass aside to see how the wine developed throughout the evening and it kept changing and getting better over the next 3 hours. A haunting wine!
But, as mentioned, this is not for everyone, so for those that like big, oaky wines, this may not be your cup of tea, so to speak.
January 13, 2008 - I bit thin at first with acid predominant. Opened decidedly in the glass over time, to display more of a Burgundian style. Medium weight. A bit of rich spice and cherry. Gained qualities over time. Never tasted a Merlot like this before.
August 23, 2007 - not impressed with this. bg