Community Tasting Note

mjwstickings Likes this wine:

Saturday, April 11, 2015 - This one had been lying around awhile, and when opened it was like unlocking an attic, smelling stale -- musty and dusty, with old wood and leather expressing decay, the colour showing signs of brown and orange rust. But then something rather strange happened. While some mustiness remained, the fruit just exploded, initial grape juice notes turning into a vibrant arrangement of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry, plum, and prune, with sweet vanilla, oak, Italian herbs, and white pepper coming later. But then, on the palate, that richness gave way to some remarkable acidity, with cherry, raspberry, and blueberry tartness taking over. It's likely that this bottle was at least a couple of years past its prime, yet it showed a lot of life, the tannic structure still firmly in place. The wine does seem to lack integration, the disparate elements not quite fitting together (and not collectively coming across as distinctively Spanish), and it doesn't have the depth and complexity for a 90, but it's a solid 87-88 even after over a decade, and its many virtues suggest giving it the benefit of the doubt.

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