Community Tasting Note

Paul S wrote:

Thursday, October 2, 2008 - Ray's farewell (Sage Restaurant, Singapore): From a 375ml. Not altogether pleasant when we first popped and poured - it came about very closed, a little thin and very heaty. It really transformed with time in the decanter though, out-performing the very nice 2001 Sociando Mallet that we had alongside. Great pairing with my roasted beef cheek dish. By the time we tried it again, the nose showed dust, leather, meat, black fruits, smoke and ash with lots of dark fruit - cherries, blackcurrants et al. Quite deep and dark and intriguing. The palate was sweeter than Bordeaux, than most left bank Bordeaux actually, so that it showed almost like a modern right bank, with flavours of black cherries, blackcurrant pastille sweets and just the lightest touch of kirsch along with a little perfumy note about mid-palate. There was a slight rivulet of minera running through the wine. Big at 14.5%, very plush, but I hardly noticed the size of the wine because it was lifted by great round acidity and chewy, but fine-boned tannins. Long, long finish with a little oak, some red bell pepper and a dash of cracked peppercorns. The heat remained until the last half glass I had, but it did fade eventually. Certainly complex and rich, this wine needs a bit more time to integrate. So, while it is delicious now, I am also grading it on upside potential. I do not think it will ever be quite as profound as the 2001, but it should be quite delightful in 3-4 years time.

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