Community Tasting Note

sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 - First of 2, this and a '13 ($44@) from a private party purchase about 4.5 years ago. On the nose and palate, sweet red and black cherries and currants, cassis and lesser notes of mixed dark berries, smoke, forest spice, leather, anise, and some coffee on the back end. Dark purple with a brownish hue, medium bodied, medium to thick legs. Medium- acidity, well integrated tannins, no heat. Good complexity, VG persistence, medium+ intensity. This came out of the bottle slightly tannic but more than drinkable on the initial 1 oz pour, but after letting it sit for a couple of hours, this was singing (NB: I think 30 mins-hour would be ideal): a well-balanced, well-structured, elegant wine. Consumed initially with the usual Wednesday snacks after the walk with Dennis, this was excellent on its own, but it really excelled with a broiled pork chop, roasted veggies and couscous afterward. This is the kind of wine which, IMO, is perpetually underscored on CT (see my notes for the '09 Merryvale Profile and '04 Dominus): more Bordeaux than Napa, more subtle than powerful, not particularly fruit forward, without undue sweetness, alcohol, vanilla or oak. Fully integrated at this point, this likely is in the middle to latter stages of its optimal drinking window, although for those more interested in secondary notes and less in fruit, this should continue to show strongly for years to come. This wine falls in a funny price niche, above the entry level wines of the larger Napa houses like Chappellet, Frank Family, Heitz, Merryvale, etc., but below most of the SVDs and blends like Hewitt, BV George, Beringer PR, etc., and that feels about right at where it's priced, solidly better than an every night drinker, but also not at the level of the more special occasion, at least for me, wines. Under the circumstances I picked it up, a great choice and more than solid if you see it at Costco, but probably not something I'd generally buy at full boat, even though I'm really enjoying it tonight.

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