Community Tasting Note
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WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 96 points
March 3, 2024 - Nose: [61°-65°] Red and dark purple flowery aromatics are followed by fresh, pure dark red berries and some fresh plums. This is quite awesome on the nose, showing dark fruits but is lifted with pretty flowers, bringing freshness and a subtle brightness. With some air, a gently musty, rotting type of forest funk surfaces, which is actually quite nice.
Palate: [61°-65°] Prickly dark plums, spiced oak, bitter mulch, with black minerals like graphite and steeped tea rounding out the finish. The plum fruits become riper with time while keeping a nice breadth of freshness still (pure berries/neon-berries/fun central coast berries/Jolly Ranchers), and eventually losing its plum characteristic and moving into a more general dark fruit realm. The gentle forest rot from the nose is reflect here on the palate as well, with a bit of freshness weaving in and out like a forest path would take.
Attributes: Dark ruby, hard to see through but clear. Dry with medium amounts of fine tannin. Medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity. Good finish of at least 20-24 seconds.
Thoughts: Surprising amount of elegance eventually graces the palate with its presence, providing a bit of excitement. One thing I cannot shake off, is the heat. It's still very there, making the wine boozy and spicy. It honestly isn't any kind of herbal spice but rather alcoholic spice that shows on the palate. These, this and the syrah from yesterday, brings the "hard" in hard liquor. I don't know how this kinda heat will be like with age.. I just hope it really calms down with time.
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Slow-ox'd and left uncorked at room temp, and consumed over 3.5 hours. Recommend serving ~62°-64° and decant as needed. Serve this at room temp, it showed better and more openly.1 person found this helpful 1,704 views
8 Comments
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Decanting Queen commented:
3/4/24, 2:34 AM - Bummer about the high alcohol, I would have expected it to be more integrated.
On serving temp—you are suggesting mid 60’s, but then you say best at room temp. Is that the same for you? Room temp for us is 68-72ish. I would not normally serve a Cali red at cellar temp
Unless specifically instructed to do so. -
Decanting Queen commented:
3/4/24, 2:35 AM - And now that you have tried both, which should I open this weekend?
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WineBurrowingWombat commented:
3/4/24, 2:49 AM - Ohh, I see. I’ll be more specific in the future, and yeah, I assumed room temp is around low 60s. I should’ve kept in mind it’s even warmer in other places.
The Grenache. Much more pleasurable to me. It was fun, exciting and even wild but had a charm to it still, which made it forgiving. -
Decanting Queen commented:
3/4/24, 2:53 AM - Fantastic, will give the Grenache a go. Thanks for the guidance.
And I will be sure to bring an extra sweater if I come to visit 😂 -
WineBurrowingWombat commented:
3/4/24, 2:55 AM - Anytime!
Wish I was familiar with the temp over there. I sometimes hear hot-lanta but didn’t think it was that hot lol -
Decanting Queen commented:
3/4/24, 5:12 AM - Lol, it's not so much outside temps, but how you choose to heat/cool your house. I keep the air con in my basement all year because of the darn boxes that don't fit in my cellar. But we would be FREEZING if it was less than 68 inside, any time of year.
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MN Wine Junkie commented:
3/4/24, 7:41 AM - WBW: I wonder, because FC is a SQN-ish type wine, if it requires the time in the cellar similar to SQN...of course, many people like SQN young too, so there is that!
DQ: You are as bad as me! Maybe worse, as I prefer to block shelves in my cellar rather than store my wine outside my cellar...I bought storage crates on wheels to store some of the bottles, with the hope I can move them to get to some of my wine on lower shelves...but that's a joke! We need to drink more and buy less! (Easier said than done!!!) -
WineBurrowingWombat commented:
3/4/24, 10:26 AM - DQ: Ah, I see.
WJ: Oh I'm sure they require time.