Community Tasting Note
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Buyer and cellar wrote: 95 points
February 15, 2010 - Acclaimed winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt's debut from Napa is a pretty stunning cabernet. Only 100 cases were made and I decided to crack a bottle open with some friends today. Mama mia, good stuff. As soon as the cork was disgorged, I sniffed the top of the bottle and was hit with a perfume of plums and black fruit. It really had gorgeous aromatics. I poured a bit into the glass and took a hit and right away was duly impressed. So we poured the wine in a decanter and left it alone for a few hours. When we finally couldn't stand waiting any more, we returned to the purple nectar. In the glass, it was a deep, brooding purple with a regal tint. Hard to describe, but the color reminded me of an african violet, only darker without being black. A little aeration sent a sweet mix of dark berry/cherry fruit, vanilla, floral scents and sage into the air. As I tasted the wine, it was big and extracted with an endless amount of rich, dark blackberry, cassis and ripe cherry at the core. There was a lot going on and depending on where you wanted to go it also had olives, herbs, tea, cocoa, vanilla from the oak and at one point i thought there was some minty aspect to it, but it didn't last long. Solid tannins that add to a moderate mouthfeel but they were firm not chewy. Super enjoyable and sorry I only have 2 bottles left. As for the bottle itself, it has a pretty cool cloth/canvas like label.
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