Community Tasting Note

VTCellarDweller Likes this wine:

Thursday, October 11, 2012 - The first of 12 purchased at retail and allowed to rest 6 weeks before opening. Decanted off a minimal amount of sediment then poured back into the clean bottle and allowed to aerate slowly for 2 hours. This was then splashed into a decanter just before serving. The color was much lighter than I had expected resembling a mature Volnay.
On first pour, it was rather tight with subtle hints of earth, ripe cherries, anise, and stir fried orange rind with an absence of primary fruit. Medium weight in the mouth with acidity and tannins dominating, this was not very pleasant until a few bites of the mousse truffee it was paired with. The high fat content of the pate served to crack open the hard shell of acidity and drying tannin allowing the subtle mature flavor aspects to come through. This reminded me of an Alpine Nebbiolo in some ways but with a smokiness and minerality from the iron laden volcanic soils of Etna. After finishing half of my glass, I put it aside to try later.
On returning to this after almost an hour, it was transformed. The intensity of the aromas and flavors was much more pronounced and nuanced than on first pour. It had a very solid mid palate and a modulating finish that was intriguing. I would anticipate another year of cellaring will bring noticeable improvement and take this into prime form with a decade of pleasurable consumption after that. If you are opening this now, I would recommend double decanting then 3 hours of slo-ox in the bottle with a splash into the decanter 30 minutes before serving. 92 points

05/10/2013 Update
Decanted off a minimal amount of sediment then poured back into the clean bottle and allowed to aerate slowly for 3 hours then splashed into a decanter 30 mnutes before serving.
After having gone through several bottles of this, there does seem to be some bottle variation. This is not a surprise given the traditional method of winemaking employed. The slight levels of VA and brett on opening have always blown off with a good airing and I have not encountered any corked bottles.
This was another excellent bottle. It kept getting stronger during the meal even with all the air it had before serving. It is not for someone who likes big "in your face" fruit. If you are an "acid head", you will be enthralled.

07/22/2013 Update
This bottle followed the same opening procedure as the last time. Even with 3 hours of slo-ox and a 30 minute splash decant, this improved noticeably during our meal. It is a travesty to PnP this wine.
Caution-this is not a sipping wine. It begs for food and would be most appreciated by someone whose tastes lean toward a more elegant style with plenty of acidity, nuanced aromatics, and mature flavors. And, at almost 12 years old, I think it still has the potential to improve.

10/22/2013 Update
Eight bottles consumed now and each one was stellar. I continue to be very impressed with this wine; enough so that I ordered 4 magnums.

11/11/2013 Update
Served with a mid week meal of pasta and Arriabbata eggplant sauce then finished with a selection of cheeses; this just gets better with every bottle I open. Stunning in its complex play of aromas and flavors. 94 points this time.

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