If you can handle a lot of power then you will like this wine. I do and loved the depth. The first 2 hours were a 95-98 experience and were a lot of fun but afterwards the wine suddenly turned and became undrinkable (old, Maggi). It felt young and vivid but that sudden deterioration raises the question how much life is left here. I tasted it blind. All the dark fruit power and the spiciness reminded me of an Aussie Shiraz. While it didn’t exactly match the profile I would have never guessed Merlot.
TN (first two hours): The intense and balanced nose marked by dark fruits, dark cherries, blackberries, plums with some olives, black pepper and cinnamon. Lots of intriguing power. Same picture on the palate with molten dark and some brighter red fruit, some herbal scents and especially a lot of spices. Fairly complex with good medium+ aromatic precision and a good long finish. It got spicier by the minute. High fine-grained but noticeable tannins, high well-integrated acidity kept this full-bodied, creamy dark monster in a good balance.
Decanting: The wine spend 30 minutes in the decanter. As said above, was a lot of fun right from the first glass but deteriorated markedly with 2 more hours in the glass (it collapsed and turned into Maggi). Off bottle or general problem?
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Decanted for 0.5h and I wouldn‘t go much beyond that given the lack of structure to hold the pieces together, but given an initially overpowering acidity and still slightly granular tannins can‘t really pop and pour either, in my view.
Red but ripe fruit reminding me more of cranberry than strawberry and red plum. Also floral but hard to define. Some faint petrol and (wet) leather as well as herbs such as black tea. Occasionally a peppery spiceyness popped up. As mentioned above acidity was still quite high, but so were alcohol (medium+), tannins (medium to medium+) and hence the overall balance was good with an intense juiceyness on the palate and a long finish.
The overall impression during at the ideal dinking spot after a short decant was rock solid and would have warranted 97 points. However, the backbone was not sufficient to support more than c.a. 1.5h in the glass and the fruit and spice components strated to crumble leaving a more beef tea type of juice in the glass. Great wine, but if you have some left in the cellar I woulnd‘t bank on it getting much better with increasing bottle age, probably best to drink now and over the next 3-5 years to avoid disappointment.
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At first, too aggressive from acid and alcohol but gradually settled down. Ripe cherry fruit, youngish, powerful. Very good but relegated to the background by King Masseto this night.
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5/20/2023 - BLam Likes this wine: 93 Points
Eric served this magnum btl in Maggie's 520 BD party. It was a chewy wine with silky palate, best to pair with steak.
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4/18/2021 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Very solid Tuscan. Still early in its development.
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8/28/2018 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
If you can handle a lot of power then you will like this wine. I do and loved the depth. The first 2 hours were a 95-98 experience and were a lot of fun but afterwards the wine suddenly turned and became undrinkable (old, Maggi). It felt young and vivid but that sudden deterioration raises the question how much life is left here. I tasted it blind. All the dark fruit power and the spiciness reminded me of an Aussie Shiraz. While it didn’t exactly match the profile I would have never guessed Merlot.
TN (first two hours): The intense and balanced nose marked by dark fruits, dark cherries, blackberries, plums with some olives, black pepper and cinnamon. Lots of intriguing power. Same picture on the palate with molten dark and some brighter red fruit, some herbal scents and especially a lot of spices. Fairly complex with good medium+ aromatic precision and a good long finish. It got spicier by the minute. High fine-grained but noticeable tannins, high well-integrated acidity kept this full-bodied, creamy dark monster in a good balance.
Decanting: The wine spend 30 minutes in the decanter. As said above, was a lot of fun right from the first glass but deteriorated markedly with 2 more hours in the glass (it collapsed and turned into Maggi). Off bottle or general problem?
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8/25/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 0.5h and I wouldn‘t go much beyond that given the lack of structure to hold the pieces together, but given an initially overpowering acidity and still slightly granular tannins can‘t really pop and pour either, in my view.
Red but ripe fruit reminding me more of cranberry than strawberry and red plum. Also floral but hard to define. Some faint petrol and (wet) leather as well as herbs such as black tea. Occasionally a peppery spiceyness popped up. As mentioned above acidity was still quite high, but so were alcohol (medium+), tannins (medium to medium+) and hence the overall balance was good with an intense juiceyness on the palate and a long finish.
The overall impression during at the ideal dinking spot after a short decant was rock solid and would have warranted 97 points. However, the backbone was not sufficient to support more than c.a. 1.5h in the glass and the fruit and spice components strated to crumble leaving a more beef tea type of juice in the glass. Great wine, but if you have some left in the cellar I woulnd‘t bank on it getting much better with increasing bottle age, probably best to drink now and over the next 3-5 years to avoid disappointment.
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6/23/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 Points
At first, too aggressive from acid and alcohol but gradually settled down. Ripe cherry fruit, youngish, powerful. Very good but relegated to the background by King Masseto this night.
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