I really love the nose on this one, which is very bright, fresh, and fruity. The nose is dominated by lovely black and red cherries, along with a subtle coffee and fresh tobacco notes. The color is a dark-but-still-translucent red. Definitely decant, likely 90+ minutes, and serve cooler than room temperature. Tannins are not overwhelming, but they are definitely there and early on they interfere with the fruity aspects of the flavor profile. There is an earthiness here that asks for a bit more time in the cellar before this wine will be ready for primetime. I like where this is heading and intend to give the rest of them another 2-3 years in the cellar before checking in.
Update at 3+ hours - the fruit has disappeared and powerful tobacco, cedar, smoke, and oak have come to the forefront. The early sipping pleasure has been lost and my instinct to leave these alone for a while has been reinforced. I think the wine is a 90-91 in time, but in it's current state more like an 88. Not that my palate is refined enough to measure such a difference...
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Flowers, cigar box, tobacco, espresso and black cherries are all over the place. On the palate, the wine readily serves up a concentrated dose of espresso bean, dark cocoa, red and black plums and leafy herbs. Give a few years for the oak to calm down better integrate and enjoy for about 15 years after that.
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Wet earth, vanilla, espresso, tobacco leaf and ripe, juicy black cherries are all over the place. Lusciously textured with sweet plum and cherry notes, the finish blends Maraschino cherries and espresso bean. 92-94 Pts
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1/23/2024 - epiphany wrote: 87 Points
I’d sit in these for a while.
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10/1/2023 - BuckeyeBenS wrote: 88 Points
I really love the nose on this one, which is very bright, fresh, and fruity. The nose is dominated by lovely black and red cherries, along with a subtle coffee and fresh tobacco notes. The color is a dark-but-still-translucent red. Definitely decant, likely 90+ minutes, and serve cooler than room temperature. Tannins are not overwhelming, but they are definitely there and early on they interfere with the fruity aspects of the flavor profile. There is an earthiness here that asks for a bit more time in the cellar before this wine will be ready for primetime. I like where this is heading and intend to give the rest of them another 2-3 years in the cellar before checking in.
Update at 3+ hours - the fruit has disappeared and powerful tobacco, cedar, smoke, and oak have come to the forefront. The early sipping pleasure has been lost and my instinct to leave these alone for a while has been reinforced. I think the wine is a 90-91 in time, but in it's current state more like an 88. Not that my palate is refined enough to measure such a difference...
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2/4/2023 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another enjoyable bottle, subtle spice notes with a little fruit. Well made wine.
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12/9/2022 - mpsocal wrote: flawed
A lot of brett, nasty
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11/27/2022 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Starts off on the earthy side but after about an hour some fruit comes out, it’s a very nice wine
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3/9/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Flowers, cigar box, tobacco, espresso and black cherries are all over the place. On the palate, the wine readily serves up a concentrated dose of espresso bean, dark cocoa, red and black plums and leafy herbs. Give a few years for the oak to calm down better integrate and enjoy for about 15 years after that.
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4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Wet earth, vanilla, espresso, tobacco leaf and ripe, juicy black cherries are all over the place. Lusciously textured with sweet plum and cherry notes, the finish blends Maraschino cherries and espresso bean. 92-94 Pts
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