Community Tasting Note

Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Saturday, November 18, 2023 - The esteemed Mike Bennie (may the sun never set on his stiffy) wrote one of those reviews where one just felt compelled to try the wine. I was also attracted by the personal resonance of the Kalimna bitty of the Barossa and the promise of a cooler vintage offering some balance to the usual baked fruit Barossa bombast.

On first opening I was moderately repelled by the obvious mocha and dark chocolate notes, two things that set this drinker on edge even more than a 'new' Beatles song featuring a collective of the long dead and the soon to be.

However, I am like a Boddhisatva of Wine and drawing on my wisdom I had opened this at mid-day in case it needed time to settle. Entering the dojo of the jaded guzzler about 6 hours and 43 wanks later this wine had grown into itself and was a danger to my health it was so dashed, well, guzzleable. Letting go being a key Buddhist precept, I did let go and guzzled without restraint. This Buddhism lark is really quite good.

Once it gets over its initial naughtiness, this shows the expected inky hue but it is the wonderful, vibrant blackberry (not jammy or baked) and black pepper and spice with a touch of leaf that cause one to lose control. The other thing I find attractive are the tannins - these are ripe, textural, that wonderful combination of sweet and bitter that the Italians do so well.

I probably should score this at 'Outstanding' but I will hold off because of that initial hit of mocha and dark chocolate. They remain in the background but there is so much else to enjoy that I can almost forgive them. That is allegedly a Christian precept, but then as most its practitioners are about as fraudulent as I am as a Buddhist, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

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