Community Tasting Note
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forceberry wrote: 96 points
October 25, 2020 - A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Aged for 18 months in barriques (60% new). 13% alcohol.
Almost fully opaque black ruby color with a somewhat translucent cherry-red rim. Layered, sweet-toned and quite seductive nose with aromas of noticeably ripe blackcurrants and strawberries, some lush toasty oak tones, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of plum compote and blueberry juice, lifted liqueur-ish hints of kirsch and a touch of baked clay. Contrasting the quite sumptuous nose, the wine is surprisingly dense, sinewy and even quite tough on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, fresh dark plums, some ferrous notes of blood, light woody notes of pencil shavings, a little bit of cigar smoke, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of graphite. The overall feel is still remarkably youthful - even slightly backward - and very muscular with its high acidity and assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is remarkably long, quite noticeably grippy and dry yet very juicy with intense flavors of fresh blackcurrants, sweeter red plums, some woody notes of cigar box and pencil shavings, light bloody notes of rare meat, a hint of sous-bois and a touch of gravelly minerality. The aftertaste segues slowly towards more toasty oak tones while the assertive tannins make the wine end on a rather grippy note.
An extraordinary, very structured and surprisingly youthful - even somewhat backward - Pauillac red, where the sweet crowdpleaser nose and very tough, powerful and structure-driven taste stand in stark contrast to each other. Although the wine is very powerful and muscular in style, it nevertheless isn't particularly big or weighty - on the contrary, there is quite a bit of finesse and elegance to this powerhouse. Seeing how very structured and youthful the wine is even at the age of 20 years, the wine seems to offer only glimpses of its full potential now. Definitely no need to open this now; the wine is yet to arrive in its drinking window. To me, this was the most impressive effort in our tasting of fourteen 2000 Bordeaux reds. Very highly recommended.7 people found this helpful 6,143 views
2 Comments
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JHH51 commented:
11/2/20, 5:55 PM - This is one of the commentaries that puts my meager taste buds and descriptive abilities to shame. I can’t wait to try this wine. But I have only one, so I’ll have to wait and ponder.
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R2-D2 commented:
11/28/20, 9:49 AM - Coravinned a taste of this before taking to a friend's house and I must say BRAVO on your note! You summed up this wine better than I ever could. I am a little disappointed with the palate as it is much lighter and ethereal than expected, especially compared to the glorious nose. I trust your instincts to wait another decade before drinking the last bottle. Cheers!