Community Tasting Note

z_willus_d wrote:

Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 10-min glass decant; nose- fruit-bread kind of spiciness, dark-fruits (blueberry), kind of Italian dessert with vanilla-bean gelato. Nose of such impact that it lingers on the back palate like a bite of that selfsame dessert might. Floral. Palate- mulling spice beverage concoction (allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and various dried fruit peels); also, lingonberry. Grows complex on the palate with sip aeration. Graceful mouthfeel. The flavors linger for a minute, but they remind me of the taste that’s left in ones mouth after a day of wine-tasting, like vinegar mixed with sour apples and tannins.

3 hours in open bottle (minus 1 glass), then 2 hours in med base decanter 70F. Nose has turned more floral and perfumed – it’s a dead-ringing smeller for the “Relaxing Body Lotion” (product: La Source) I took from the hotel the other day (brand: Crabtree & Evelyn). While I don’t much care for the lotion, the nose on this wine is just intoxicating and up there with the best of the “95-pointer” bouquets I’ve sniffed. It’s clear this has come forward a few paces in the hours intervening since my first tasting. There’s a lot of spicy, sweet-tannin’ed depth here with twists of blueberry and smears of smoky BBQ; and even cooked cabbage with fresh cauliflower in the early finish. Very nice transition there too; some teeth grip. The aftertaste is more pleasant now, but then it really has been like a long day of tasting now. Some friends with appetite stopped by and interrupted the experiment, yet I have enough left in open bottle to try tomorrow. I’m leaning towards 92-points here, though it deserves more considering that excellent nose.

22+ hours in the bottle @66-70F. Dark red color w/ hints of purple. The nose is darker, throwing more smoky spice and musk-fumes, though it turns its head back to the above descriptors with splashing in glass. There is a little less sparkle on the palate. Where I wouldn’t call this dull, it is singing just ever so slightly flat compared to its earlier performance. Still the elegance and complexity prevail. At 5-hours open, this was a 92+ point wine book-ended by a 91-point@10-min and again 91-point@~24 hours. I have to give it the benefit of the doubt and believe over the next 5-7 years this will be mature into a clear 93-point wine, perhaps book-ended by 92s.

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