Community Tasting Note
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TSBWine Likes this wine: 91 points
July 26, 2013 - 91 Points. Served at 58-62 degrees and serially tasted over two and a half hours with no decanting prior.
At first pour, there are simple elements of dark red fruits and pepper spices on the nose. On the palate, ripe raspberries, black cherries followed by an expanse of spice characteristics that flood the palate: white and black pepper, exotic spice box and sandalwood. It doesn't have a very elegant or composed disposition early on and there's not much depth here on the mid-palate despite the ripe, well-formed fruit notes.
However, over time the wine gained a great deal of depth with air and it showed it's true composition. Candied violets blossomed on the nose and palate along with characteristics of chaparral/dry brush and wild sage. Notes of Black Raspberries came forward with greater concentration and carried the wine well into the mid-palate where tiers of spices laid set against a backdrop of chaparral. The back-palate began to gain some firmness as well with just a pinch of tannin that helped give the wine some greater form on the palate. There's plenty of acidity here to bring freshness to the fruit and a lively mid-palate that accentuates the complex spice character.
If it weren't for the chaparral and exotic wood spice notes that existed on the palate in lieu of garrigue it would have been a dead-ringer for Southern Rhone. I found the dry brush / sage element to be a bit beguiling and even a bit feminine, reminiscent of the California mountains after summer and autumn rains. There's a real sense of terroir here despite it invoking a place thousands of miles away.
Overall, I was really impressed (and surprised) by this wine. An excellent representation of Spanish Grenache and killer QPR as well. Recommended decant of 30-45 minutes and absolutely critical to serve this at the appropriate temperature. My belief is that this wine is at or near its peak. If stored properly it should hold there for 2-3+ years before it sets into a steady decline.3 people found this helpful 3,623 views