Community Tasting Note

Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - Bottle age can really do things to wines. By that I mean I was unable to discern the informing grape (served double-blind) on this one as age and perhaps some bottle variation as well had taken their toll. Instead of Zin fruit, this was all about the 'Draper perfume', i.e. American Oak. For me, it was just too much, and no amount of swirling or letting it sit in the glass seemed to matter. Caramel and brown sugar on the nose (with little else), but a palate that is still in fine shape - properly lifted, with a sweet, still fresh core of red berry fruit. Nothing fascinating here in terms of complexity, but it does make a case - in terms of purity of fruit and ripeness/balance - for PD as one of the greatest American winemakers of all time. 82% Zin, 13% Carignane, 5% Cinsault, with 13,4% abv.

Having said all that, I feel the Am. oak imbalance was due to bottle variation, and (more) likely, less than ideal storage at some point(s) during its life.

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