11/26/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours deep straw in the glass with fine moderate effervescence. The nose is lovely and hugely appealing from the first pour with notes of fresh baked shortbread, vanilla wafer, candied mint, candied lemon peel, fresh pear, and white cherry. The palate is impeccably balanced entering on crisp citrus fruit pitch perfect pressure, high aid balanced well against 4 g/l dosage. The finish is modest in length, but closes on lovely sour citrus. All in all this is a great showing from the perennial favourite Laherte. Great balance and subtly compelx. Not hugely rich or autolytic, but still plenty going on here.

3/4/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours just barely opaque at the core, somewhere between ruby and garnet. Clearly some light bricking at the rim. The nose opens beautifully as this gets air showing tar, wet earth, cigar ash, some background coconut and vanilla making this clearly identifiable as Rioja, ripe strawberry, dark cherry, and even a little lavender. The palate has the medium plus acid and medium tannin you might expect from Rioja. The finish is perhaps a touch astringent, though that is picking a nit. Overall this is an excellent Rioja drinking in a really nice spot.

9/20/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours very light, pale ruby in the glass. The nose is tight and reserved grudgingly showing light cherry, pomegranite, tar, dusty dry soil, and rosemary. A little reduction here that dissipates considerably by day 2. The palate is structured, yet juicy showing red fruit on entry. Acid is medium plus, and tannin is medium and firm. The finish closes on the mineral and red fruit of the nose, yet fizzles out a little short. All in all this is nice stuff. Representative of Etna Rosso, and even on the light/elegant side of that. I bet blind I'd call this one Langhe Nebbiolo if tasted bind. Lovely stuff.

3/3/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Pours deep ruby to the rim. Transparent, though almost opaque at the core. The aromas coming from the glass are absolutely gorgeous, already complex today. The assertive nose wafts dark cherry, mulberry, celery seed, crushed gravel, burlap, peanut shell, wet hay, and a touch of animal fur. The palate feels just a touch dilute and light on entry, but medium minus tannin and medium acid provide structure. The medium plus finish replays much of the cherry and mulberry fruit of the nose. Quite a lovely bottle that I'm excited to follow.

12/6/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours medium ruby with light bricking at the rim. Impressive color given the age. The nose opens up over the course of a couple hours to show old cedar, iron, thyme, dried black currant, and wet mossy undergrowth. The palate enters on dried black currants, turning to medium minus velvety tannin and medium minus acid. The mid-palate shows a very lean dusty earth and iron note that I'd attribute to what I assume is a leaner vintage. The finish isn't terribly long but replays the cedar of the nose. Nice wine which is drinking well today.

7/1/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

An Epic Summer Wine Weekend - Year 2; 6/30/2023-7/2/2023 (Muskoka, Ontario, Canada): This really shows why it’s up there as one of the best of all time. Crazy intense on the nose from the first pop, blasting apricot, marmalade, light VA, a touch of pool toy, honey drizzled peaches, high quality vanilla bean, a touch of fresh white mushroom, and river rocks. The palate is immaculately balanced, entering on honey, apricot and peach, turning to lovely bitter marmalade as the lemony acid cuts a precise swath across the palate. The finish closes harmoniously on the array of lovely orchard fruit accented by vanilla bean. Just glorious Sauternes that's aging at a snails pace.

6/19/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Hamilton Blind Group: [Tasted Double Blind] This pours medium purple in the glass. The nose is of candied cherry, purple licorice, charcoal, violets, punchy blackberry, blueberry, and mulberry. The palate also feels very youthful, showing a vaguely tangy profile with medium tannin, medium acid, and some bitterness. Some alcohol pokes through on the finish, but not obtrusive. Overall I was quite stumped by this. Clearly Bordeaux varieties, and felt young. My best guess was a 2008 Chinon as I occasionally get that very bright and punchy fruit character form some producers. I was quite surprised on reveal. I have always loved this producer, so I'm really hoping this needs more age. Just so incredibly young right now and centred on the fruit.

6/3/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Salut Montreal (Montreal Area): This pours light straw in the glass with flecks of green. The nose is just lovely, airy and elegant, showing cold cream, crisp pear, white flowers, mint, light asparagus, candied lemon peel, and a touch of honey. The palate is equally fantastic with precise medium plus acid, gorgeous purity of fruit, and an impressively long finish. Texturally it really caresses and is very well balanced. Just a pure joy to drink. All in all this bottle absolutely blew me away and was just a gorgeous experience from beginning to end. None of the aggressiveness I occasionally associate with the variety. Just incredible purity, minerality, texture, and complexity.

5/23/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours deep straw, almost gold. The nose displays a lovely melange of fruit: kiwi, cantaloupe, ripe pear, and peach, complemented by touches of honey, wax, and basil. The palate enters on the complex fruit and the waxy character with medium acid and a medium finish with turns a touch sour. Quite a lovely wine that calls to mind elements of Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris, yet is distinctly its own thing.

5/17/2011 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine:

Young dark ruby, slight rose rim color. Beautiful dried florals, dusty cherry spice, earthy mushroom/strawberry patch, red berry fruit, dried leaves, toffee at times, nose. Smooth and silky in the mouth, yet still has a tight structure with sour skin and minerals to it. Very tasty flavors as the nose....LOVE the dried cherry/raspberry/strawberry fruit, to go along with some pretty florals of dusty spices. Also shows some slight complexities of old leather, tobacco leaves, slight cinnamon and anise. A little bit more"lite" bodied than I thought it would be...the structure really thins it out in the finish. Love the flavors though. Maybe it needs another 12 years to really shine?? I'm happy with this bottle tonight!

12/10/2022 - Eric wrote:

ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA): Mmmm, leafy, mint, red fruit, green tobacco leaf. This is fairly dry and structured, very Cabernet in personality, utterly classic California Cab from another era. This wanted some steak to buffer it a bit.

10/28/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This wine pours light ruby in the glass, with the faintest hint of bricking. The nose is expressive showing red plum, cherry, volcanic soil tones, leafy herbs, fresh mushroom, and a hint of leather. Lovely profile. The palate is really where this shines, entering on deep lush cherry and plum fruit. The tannin is medium minus and the acid is medium, coming together to form a caressing, gorgeous texture. The finish lingers very impressively replaying much of the nose and especially the deep lush fruit. I took a flyer to buy this and am frankly stunned at the quality and the profile. This is an absolute steal for $22 CAD and is drinking fabulously today. Clearly a few years of age helps here.

5/20/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This wine pours medium purple in the glass. The nose smells of bourbon: alcohol, vanilla, iron, and vague prunes. The palate is astringent, dominated by wood tannin and alcohol. 14% on the label. One of the most awful Bordeaux I've ever had.

8/19/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This wine pours medium straw in the glass. The nose is immediately expressive showing clear Chablis markers albeit with a little riper fruit. The nose shows ripe pear, chalk, oyster shell, peach, and a touch of cold cream. The palate enters with a degree of viscosity and fruit ripeness, though it turns to impressive acid (given the vintage), medium. The finish also retains a decent degree of mineral and estuary notes. While plainly not up to the level of 2017s I've had from the same producer this is still well done for the vintage and quite enjoyable.

11/22/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This wine pours medium ruby in the glass. Opaque at the core, almost deep ruby. The nose is lifted and complex showing plum, pepper, new leather, animal fur, dry soil, fresh roses, peonies, and charcoal. The palate features bright fresh plummy fruit with medium tannin and medium plus acid. Giving this some youthful structure, while still remaining accessible. The finish isn't wildly long but there is a very nice cherry/plum element that is quite lovely. I'm not always a huge fan of Mencia, but this is awesome. Great today and wil no doubt age well. These Envintate wines are great. In fact, I'm not sure I've yet had a bad one.

3/4/2022 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours medium ruby in the glass, but notably light toward the rim. The nose is somewhat reticent slowly unfurling to show a classic Chinon profile of raspberry, crushed gravel, burlap, green tobacco leaf, black currant, celery, and charcoal. Even after a few days open it remains only lightly expressive, but what is there is complex and appealing. The palate has a very light and classical frame entering on the raspberry and black currant of the nose, tuning to medium minus tannin and medium plus acid. The finish fizzles out a little short recalling a whips of burlap and charcoal. All in all this very classical bottle of Chinon that really shows it's 12.5% alcohol profile (as per bottle), and unlike some warmer vintage Chinons which show a darker color, more extract, and alcohol, this doesn't seem to reflect the vintage at all. If tasted blind I'd lean more to a cooler year like 2014, 2011, or 2016. This is quite different than say, the wines from Bernard Baudry I've had in 2015, stylistically. I do wonder if this is a bit of a closed phase and will look to age my remaining bottles several years before opening my next.

12/4/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

First bottle corked. Second bottle was sound. Pours ruby at the core with the mildest bricking. The nose is moderately expressive but nicely mature and complex. Notes of sweet cedar, spice box, forest undergrowth, dark cherry, matsutake mushroom, and iron waft. The palate still has a little grippy medium minus tannin and medium acid. The finish is medium in length with iron, spice box and dark cherry leading the way. Nice wine!

12/4/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Pours a pale copper. I was really quite taken with this. The nose is fabulously expressive of rose petals, brioche, toffee, fresh cherry, caramelized orange peel, and fresh meyer lemon. The palate is wonderfully balanced. Bright, fresh meyer lemon acid. Low-ish dosage and a long finish replaying much of the nose.

8/14/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours light ruby in the glass with light flecks of pink at the rim. Initially the nose is a tad reductive and tight eventually opening to show a lovely elegant aromatic display of rose petals, ground pepper, light cherry, red licorice, scrubby underbrush, dry hay, bay leaf, red currant, and a vague touch of kirch. The palate is youthfully structured with medium minus tannin and medium acid and a finish that lingers pleasantly on the red fruit, shrubby herbs, and floral notes. Overall I find this wonderfully enjoyable and can't help but wonder what this might look like in a few years with just a little less reduction. This is my first Tibouren Rouge (I've had Rosés from Cibonne before), and I'm a believer. I would understand comparisons to Pinot Noir, though the vague kirsh note and the 14% alcohol may steer one away from that conclusion if tasted blind. I think this drinks much like a very elegant Grenache (and indeed there is 10% Grenache in here). Stylistically the closest I've had to this before are the Garnacha's from Comando G and I actually think in some ways I prefer this. Well done!

10/27/2021 - Collector1855 wrote:

My god, what a wine! Everyone who never tasted a Chateau Rayas and does not want to shell out a 1000$ should get his hands on this. It is that good. Bought it out of curiosity to see if I could replicate a Rayas moment at a different price point. A humble Cote du Rhone, so it should cost 20$ but this one cots 200$ - and is worth every penny. TN: Right after opening the tell tale Rayas nose jumped from the glass with sandal wood, sweet spices, gingerbread red fruit, cured meat, simply wonderful. It does not have the concentration of the CdP but it has its aromatics. That is actually not a disadvantage as this wine only has 13.5% alcohol. Not one of these big Southern Rhone bruisers but a very delicate food wine. People I served this to were equally stunned.
Final note: Every time I drink a wine from the Rayas stable I ask myself why not all other Rhone producers put down their work, take a pencil and paper and go over to Rayas to learn how it's done...

1/23/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

The person who brought this wine said he had learned it was held back in foudre until two years ago when it was bottled, presumably to mark it's 40th birthday. I've never really heard of this practice in a dry red, but that didn't stop this wine from being spectacular and my WOTN. While the fruit is totally alive, as expected this is focused on the secondary and tertiary notes of dried orange peel, dried lemon peel, animal fur, cherry, cumin seed, white pepper, sassafras, dried cherries, and black licorice. The palate retains a touch of dusty tannin, elevated acid and replays black licorice, animal fur and spice on the lengthy finish. Gorgeous and nearly classic.

10/5/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours medium ruby with flecks of purple. The nose showing a curious overripe or oxidized component, showing prunes, crushed rock, alcohol, iron, and dried black currants. The palate is tight with medium plus tannin, medium acid, dark fruit and a touch of alcohol on the finish. This is one of my least favorite Baudry wines I can recall tasting. I’m hoping this is just an anomaly due to vintage. Or perhaps just a sub-optimal bottle. Three more in the cellar, so time will tell.

11/28/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Pours somewhere between ruby and garnet. Actually a tad light in the glass, transparent to the core. The nose is lifted, complex, and harmonious. Notes of dried strawberries, dried mushrooms, leather, smoked meat, dried orange peel, and dry hay waft. The palate is really where its at on this wine. The sweet red fruited entry is augmented with bright citrus orange zest. Tannins are medium minus acid is medium plus. The finish is medium plus with notes of leather and dried strawberry and orange peel. Loving this.

5/14/2021 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This pours a lucid bright light ruby in the glass, faintly orange and brick toward the rim. The nose on this wine is expressive, complex and wide open showing strawberry, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petal, honey, thyme, and a vague touch of smoky mineral. The palate enters on a core of bright, wonderfully sweet red fruit via strawberry and blood orange, then comes the structure with medium tannin and medium acid. The finish lingers impressively, quite long actually again focused on the gorgeous fruit. This is a big time winner. Almost 93 in my books. If tasted blind, I’m not sure where I would go but the profile almost feels like a hypothetical 50/50 blend of Nebbiolo and ripe, but lightly extracted whole cluster Pinot noir. This is exceptional. I’ve had several vintages of this specific wine and many other Etna Rosso, but this is the best I’ve tasted yet.

8/3/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Pours quite light in the glass, totally transparent, medium garnet. Bricking is medium. The nose is massively expressive and fantastically complex. Detractors might note a touch of Brett, but it's easily within acceptable limits for most tasters. The nose shows worn leather, tobacco leaf, red cherry, red currant, toasted nuts, bay leaf, and touches of beef broth and sweet cedar. The palate has nearly zero remaining tannin, but the acid is bright and freshly red fruited (medium plus). The finish is long replaying much of the nose. A wonderful wine that I wish I had a cellar full of. An absolute steal at 16 euros. Somewhat reminiscent of an 80's Bordeaux from a cooler year with a certain Iberian twist. Nearly 94 Points.

3/2/2020 - Wine Canuck wrote:

I'm an unabashed Baudry fan, but was a little disappointed with this. I've usually found this bottling restrained, light, and red fruited, so I was surprised to find the opposite in this 2018. It pours quite deep ruby, heavily purple at the rim. Inky and opaque at the core. The nose is quite heady clearly showing some if it's 13.5% alcohol. The nose is purple and black fruited showing blueberry, violets, blackberry, and quite a lot of blue and purple licorice. The nose on this could be confused with a Cotes du Rhone. The palate is a touch bitter and tart, with medium acid and tannin. The finish is on bitter berry seeds and a whiff of alcohol. A well made wine but not my preferred style. I have a case so we'll need to see what happens with these as they age.

4/2/2019 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Love! This pours a medium straw with flecks of gold. The nose is rich and pleasing of barley sugar, fresh baked pastry, lemon confit, and chalk. Despite being a Blanc de Blancs, it leans to the richer side of things which I love. The palate has immaculate balance with medium acid and dosage and long finish build on fresh pastry notes. Gorgeous.

2/15/2019 - Dave Canada wrote:

Drank with Andrew, Greg and Joel in Garage at 342

PnP
Nose is so dark...black cherry, pomegranate, vanilla coke and stems...definitely pointing to Nuits St. Georges.
Palate is so pure and layered....such dense fruit....spice, flowers, cola, stems, ginger, sassafras, herbs and menthol. Complex....and ready to be held for the long term...20+ more years easy.
Finish is long...so much going on.

No rush on these...hold for 5 years at least.....10 if possible.

11/17/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

Another incredible performance from the 2011 Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône, with a wonderful bouquet of fresh ripe strawberry complemented by exotic florals, sweet-and-savory herbs, crushed seashell minerality, hints of rose, pepper and undergrowth. On the palate, it was wonderfully fresh, vibrant and fleshy, with silky textures contrasting zesty acidity, as sweet, floral-laced strawberry and spice swept across the senses with a hint of green stems, yet in the best possible way. The finish was long, as hints of mineral-soaked tannin tugged gently at the senses, while lingering cherry and strawberry tones, a twang of zesty acid, and wood smoke remained. What a gorgeous wine, and I'm so happy to have half a case left in the cellar.

11/18/2018 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Would it be uncool to say that this is my favorite Rhys wine? It’s not because it’s the best, but rather because it’s a fine example of the style, while showing more nuance and ultimately pleasure in an earlier drinking window. Fully integrated, red fruit dominated and showing just a hint of sneaky back end tannin, this is about as fun to drink as you can get. The balance indicates plenty of time to spare, but I have a hard time keeping my hands off of these.

9/11/2017 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine:

Stunning. Everything you'd want from Sangiovese: fresh, bright, focused, with lovely spiciness, but also superb depth and warmth. This wine was absolutely sparkling and vibrant. There's no rush to drink the 07s, but also no reason to wait. If you can find the 2007, buy it.

6/24/2017 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This showed nicely. It pours a bright, vibrant red with moderate bricking. The nose is subdued, eventually showing mild notes of red cherry, strawberry, coconut sunscreen, earth, orange peel, and vanilla. The palate features medium minus tannin, and elevated acid with an orange peel edge to it, keeping this so fresh and food friendly. Was a fantastic pairing with chorizo and octopus ragout.

11/2/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote:

This is aromatically intense and immediately identifiable as Tuscan Sangiovese. Deep, rich and also so fresh. The nose is of cherry pit, saline/sweat, forest floor, leather, tobacco, red plums, brown spices, roast meats, sun-dried tomato, asphalt, hay, and the slightest hint of reduction that should dissipate with time. The palate has elevated tannin and acid, with a long, savoury, red fruited finish. Excellent wine and an excellent value when you consider it usually lands around $70.

2/27/2016 - AllRed wrote:

Nonblind with dinner. Red fruit and herb notes with a dominant Pegau funk. Red berry and licorice flavors with spice and funk in spades. It's a bit much. The last few Pegau I have tasted, I've found the levels of funk/brett to be too much. It's one thing to have a funk, but this just isn't clean winemaking.

2/20/2016 - AllRed wrote:

Courtesy of M/M Italian Wino, decanted ahead of time. Notes of cherry liqueur, black raspberry and licorice. Full-bodied with medium tannins and flavors of raspberry, pepper, spice and lush red fruit. Very well-balanced, with good fruit, acid and structure. I went in expecting not to like this as my palate does not typically align with Parker's and I find his higher-scoring CdPs quite overdone, but this was gorgeous. Obviously young, but drinking well with a healthy decant. 95-96 pts.

2/6/2016 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Chris' Housewarming (Hamilton, ON): A good bottle, but at this stage it seems to be showing a fair bit of oak via coconut and suncreen. Also ripe dark cherry, leather, cassis, and blackberry. The palate is primal and tannic. I think we just caught this one in an awkward spot as I've loved this wine in the past.

11/3/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote:

A Tasting of Wines From Italy (Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, ON): Very classical leaning wine here with a lovely nose of dried orange peel, red lozenges, red currant, tar, perfume, cherry, hints of brown sugar and slight dried lemon peel note. Tannins, while big, come across more silky than the normal Barbaresco with high acid and a medium plus finish. Very nice.

1/17/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Year 2 - Super Tasting 5 of 5 - Greg does the Loire (Greg's House): So much younger and more exuberant than the 1975 poured previously. The colour is a medium yellow gold. The nose is so complex of marmalade, pool toy note, mushroom, pine needles and mixed citrus. The palate is viscus and lovely with the residual sugar coming across as perceived between 100 - 150 g/l. The palate has beautiful marmalade and chamomile tea notes with a mineral finish. Pretty decent acid to boot. Some saw it as acid deficient, but compared to other late harvest styles I found it quite nice. This is in a really nice spot if you value freshness and bright citrus fruit.

10/29/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Halpern Enterprises Portfolio Tasting (Toronto, ON): I really just found this too modern and over the top for me. The nose is of piña colada, coconut, powdered sugar, caramel macchiato, prunes and brandy.

5/27/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote:

A Casual Wednesday in Toronto with the Toronto Cru (FWR, Toronto, ON): I wasn't terribly impressed with this, especially considering the price. It was clobbered by the previous wine in my opinion. Poured blind, several people didn't even guess Riesling. Maybe too young, but I'm just not sure it's my style. The nose wasn't very expressive even at varying temperatures and degrees of aeration. The mild nose is of lemon, lime, butter, wax and chalk. The palate is softer and more round. Totally dry, but lacking the quantity of linear acid of the previous. Even a bit a bit bitter and sour on the finish. One positive was a good deal of mineral on the finish. Admittedly this might have been caught in an awkward spot.

6/11/2013 - Wine Canuck Likes this wine:

Visit to Domaine Pegau (Domain Pegau, Châteauneuf-du-Pape): Quite a typical and ordinary CdR Blanc. Clean nose of Lemon Rind and White Flowers. Good acid and a straightforward palate with a moderately short finish.

6/7/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote:

1994 California Cabernet Horizontal (Super Tasting Year 2, 3 of 5) (George Restaurant, Toronto, ON): (tasted single blind) This was the disappointment of the night. Nose was super clean and quite ripe even compared to the others. Nose of: blackberry, blueberry jam, prune, raisin, balsamic, brown sugar and graphite. Unfortunately it felt a bit like another "prototypical" Cali cab and was another candidate for one of the basic cabs like the regular Caymus or the Phelps. Given that there was some pruneyness this bottle almost felt like it was on the downslope, nearly heading over the hill. Due to the pedigree of this wine I would love to try it again some day as this showing was a disappointment.

6/18/2014 - ledocq Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but: if you're curious about the differences between the 2009 and 2010 Bordeaux, grab one bottle each of the 2009 and 2010 Senejac, decant each of them for 4 hours, and have a glass. Then have a glass on day two. And on day three. It's amazing that this stuff comes from the same vineyard. Each of them is very good, very satisfying, and they are very different profiles. The other TNs here give you a good idea of what those profiles are, but Senejac is one of the only wines I can think of that you can compare vintages for about $60 and see such an extreme difference. I'm looking forward to seeing how they each taste in 5 and 10 years. I'm puzzled by why this is $35 and the 2010 is $20 -- I believe they are really similar in what they give you -- but even $35 is good QPR. Seriously, buy them both and leave notes when you taste.

4/7/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote:

California Wine Fair - Toronto, ON (Fairmont Royal York): Now we're getting into something interesting. Much more developed rich, and slightly funky aromas waft on first pour. Nose of fresh cut strawberry, brown spice, cantaloupe, coarse brown sugar, hints of butterscotch, and fresh cut red apple. Palate is again a tad sweet and seems to be 10+ g/l but with good balancing acid. Medium plus finish. I really like the style, but this arrives in Ontario at $54, so it's another one where you can do better in Champagne.

1/6/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote:

LCBO Tasting Bar Sample. Drinking nicely though a bit young at this point. Nose blasts caramel apples, salted toffee, smoked salt, fresh baked brioche drizzled in honey, sugar soaked lemon peel, shortbread. Massively complex and rich. Palate as expected is more linear and acidic while also replaying rich notes and just right dosage. Excellent balance and long finish. Will age nicely and I anticipate it to peak in 6-8 years, though no harm in checking in on a bottle now. 94 today with upside potential.

8/15/2013 - Wine Canuck Likes this wine:

5 Blind Pinots on a Thursday Night (Dave's House): (Blind Pinot #3) On first pour this wine had some dissolved Co2 which had us concerned it was flawed. After a few minutes in the glass however all of the Co2 dissipated and a stunning nose began to show itself. There is obvious stem inclusion in this wine, but it is very tastefully executed and suits the wine well. Nose features ash, loads of spice, plenty of red fruit; red currants, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate. It is so complex and has so much going on it almost overwhelms the senses. Palate is similar to wine #1 in the silk and length of finish, however I believe we all agreed this was clearly the wine of the flight with only #1 in the same ballpark as this. 94 Points and that is conservative.