Community Tasting Note

Wednesday, October 2, 2013 - Color: Garnet, with a hint of purple.

Nose: Deep and spicy. Ripe dark fruit aromas of blackberry, plum, and black currant, with sweet and savory spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, clove, and anise. Some eucalyptus herbal character and a hint of leather as well. With air, a little bit of soy/worcestershire and black licorice comes out.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and smooth as silk.

Palate: Faithful translation of the flavor profile from the nose, but overlaid on a surprisingly lithe, silky frame. Does not feel heavy or overdone, and glides over the palate, leaving behind fine, moderate tannins and baked blackberry tart on the finish. Perhaps a tad more sweetness of fruit than I'd prefer, but this wine is all about pleasure and class, and it delivers both.

Really good stuff. A little different but just as good as, if not a hair better than, my last bottle from a year ago. Elegant, deftly oaked, good level of ripeness and extraction, and delicious. Aging well, too. A lot of people below seem to feel like this is over or almost over the hill, but I didn't have that experience with either of my bottles. I think, as balanced as it is, that it will happily go another five years at least. I wish I had more.

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