2014 Viña Aquitania Cabernet Sauvignon Lazuli

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 91.1 points

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  2/28/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Been about 8 months since my last bottle and I have but one bottle of a case left that I will hold for another year or two. Reviewing and scoring just because this bottle behaved differently. Pnp'd into a decanter, sampled at the outset. Green, stemmy herbal nose, black fruit, a bit too cold right out of the cellar but it softened quickly over 30 minutes and the palate really delivered a nice, smooth dark red fruited beauty tasting nothing like the deceptive nose it had. Two hours in and the green herbal nose is completely gone. The wine softens further, gains silkiness in the mouth, a touch of iodine and graphite with a hint of violets in the background. The acidity is the best of any bottle of this that I can remember. It's perfectly balanced and backing up the body of the wine all the way through to a slightly tangy orange rind ending. It's mouthwatering on the very end. What a beautiful effect. 93 at this point bordering on a 94 which would be the highest score I've ever given a bottle of this one. One of the final wines of the great Paul Pontallier of Margaux fame who went down to Chile with friends to make this one. Addendum to follow after dinner as I see how this bottle plays out further with food (Miso Chilean Sea Bass, no less) and more air time.
  
  Addendum: 5 hours of air now and the wine deepens further, the acidity is riveting but in balance, it's def driving the bus, here....big hints of cigar box, almost a Merlot spiciness to the dark red fruit. It lingers long after you swallow. Like a 40-60 second ending. I just don't remember any previous bottles drinking like this but then again, maybe it took this long for aging to have its best effect? This is by far the best $35 wine I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. 94 now and score adjusted to reflect that.

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  7/3/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Been a few years since trying one of these so wanted to see how they're moving along. Decanted for 90 min then placed back into the bottle sans cork to breathe another 2-4 hours during and after dinner. This started out VERY thin, with very little light red fruit. Jimbo hinting it looked like a Rose on his first pour. This is soft, with slight tart cherry fruit, but then Jimbo comments on maybe it's just it's more aggressive acidic profile and I think he's correct. This picked up a little weight and flavor as the evening wore on. It started at 85 for me on opening but moved toward 88-89 by the end of the night. One more glass left in the bottle under cork. I'll revisit tomorrow and see how it tastes on a second day.
  
  Addendum: 2nd day (after another 24 hours in bottle under cork) this improved another 2 points. It grew considerably darker in color, gained weight and the berries improved while the acidity backed off. Easy 91 the 2nd day. Changing the score from the original 89 to reflect that. improvement.

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  11/3/2020 - twain wrote: 88 Points

  Green note, menthol, lots of acidity but missing some fruit. Might let this go a bit to come together?

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  10/16/2020 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points

  90 at the pnp with a bit of an ether/chemical smell to it.....2 hours of air and it blossoms. 93 easy. Dark fruited and balanced in every regard. I have been giving these away to family/friends but am keeping the last few for myself now. Quite a refined and quaity wine. Great qpr.

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  11/16/2019 - EMark wrote:

  Very light hit of black fruit--cassis, blueberry. Then very noticeable earthiness. Not nearly as much upfront fruit as the California Cabs that I am used to. Similarly, not as full-bodied or, even, as tannic.

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