9/17/2021 - AJ72 wrote:

It’s not bad but it just isn’t a great example of this vineyard. Has some Brett which doesn’t help but let me put my technical hat aside…. Yes there are some nice elements to this iron/metallic velvet like texture but…. It’s more rustic than it should be, costs more than it should, but that’s Burgundy isn’t it? Not anywhere near the quality it should be for the price ($250). Ultimately it’s a disappointment and another representation of a great Burgundy vineyard which falls well short. It’s hard though isn’t it? Do you spend $3000 on the best Rousseau? Well even that is now ridiculous the law of diminishing returns on investment makes even Rousseau, now, not worth it. Especially given that the cork means you’re playing Russian roulette. Name one luxury purchase where you’re not given any compensation when it’s completely rooted…..Imagine buying a Versace clutch bag that didn’t close properly or a Tiffany diamond ring that was damaged in transit and all they could say was bad luck. Paints a pretty bleak picture but the reality is, for the purist, these wines are unobtainable now. Should it be this way? Supply and demand drives it so I guess it must be accepted? When Rousseau Clos de Beze was $250 back in the late 90’s for a good year that was damn expensive but at least you could lash out and see what all the fuss was about. Now Henri Jayer, DRC, Leroy, Rousseau, Roumier, Raveneau, Coche Dury, etc have become museum pieces. If this appears like some sort of Eulogy for fine wine well…. It probably is.

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.

8/13/2020 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

Wonderful wine, well worth the cellaring!! Deep garnet coloured, it showed initially some barnyard aromas which soon dissipated to reveal a sleek red and black fruit, together with garrigue and mineral notes. Smooth and silky on the palate with impeccable tannins which gave the wine a firm structure. Very unlike a CdP, more like a traditional left bank Bordeaux in style, though with no trace of oak at all. At a very nice point to drink in its secondary phase, but it can last for several more years. Esssentially a food wine with supreme drinkability and everything in balance.

5/2/2018 - Stefanos T. wrote:

Yeaky...disgusting, oxidised. bad bottle?

9/20/2013 - Stefanos T. wrote:

Surprisingly when opened up this wine did not offer anything special. Nose was almost not smelling anything at all (!) and on the palate which had a nice elegant and fluid texture (which is the best feature of this wine) there was some candied cherry fruit that I associate with Gamay more than Syrah. Mellow tannins and medium acidity. At ten years of age there was no sign of development or fatigue...
On day two the wine was much more open in the nose with black peppery notes and some florality. On the palate it was also more fruity with candied notes being less. Much better overall than day one.
I do not know how to judge this wine. Current performance based on day two is an 88, but I have the feeling that it might get better with aging although it is neither tannic nor fruit concentration is high. The reason is it youthful and elegant presence now at age ten.
I love the label on the other hand...

9/15/2017 - sean7711 Likes this wine:

Had from a family friend's cellar. First time drinking something this old so not sure what to expect. This had been stored for at least 40 years in a hand-built cellar/cave. Label was still in good shape, cork came out relatively clean. Bottle threw a ton of sediment. Drank over about an hour at lunch- what a treat! A bit caramel/brown color, little left on the finish, nice nose.

3/26/2016 - jgh123 Likes this wine:

Wine purchased on release and cellered undisturbed. Only decanted for about an hour but served in large Riedel Grand Cru glasses. Dark color with rim just turning amber. A little leather on the nose but mainly dark fruit, especially blackberries. Very rich and lingering on the palate; all elements integrated and focused. Hard to believe it's only 11.5% alcohol. It just got better and better over dinner. This is what First Growth Bordeaux is all about. And did I say, 11.5% alcohol!

4/7/2016 - jkoenen wrote:

Big wine, sexy and luscious. But I would wait several years to open the next one.

2/20/2016 - WineAggregate Likes this wine:

This bottle was as close to perfect as any I've ever had the pleasure of tasting, though I can't rate it 100 if only on principle. Easily the WOTN, it has the complete package. Decanted 4 hours, cork perfect and wet about 1/4 up the side. Deep red color, wonderful rich perfumed nose of plum, spice, and a perfect dose of brett; on the palate it has everything: mouth coating, rich fruit and soft tannins, balanced with a bit of forest floor, saddle leather and dried meat. Soft herbs, cherry, plum, so much going on that it defies classification. Some bordos lately have been a bit hollow on the mid-palate for me, but this has everything going strong from the initial attack to the long, long finish. Average from 5 tasters: 97.6

2/17/2016 - reichken wrote:

fun to drink but this bottle was a bit flat

2/1/2016 - Zoomin Z Likes this wine:

Fino sherry, sherry cask and orange peel on the nose. A medium weight body that is still quite tart, with a bracing finish that softens as the wine warms up. There are hazelnut notes and a botrytis dryness to the racy, lasting finish, as well. Intellectually interesting to see how this all holds in balance together, and admittedly unique, but not pleasing in a hedonistic sense.

Day 2: (room temperature) warmer and richer today. The nose has lemon and cognac notes, and for the first time, I get chenin blanc notes as well. Still medium bodied, the mouthfeel that I can only descibe as halfway between a sherry and a california chardonnay! Very smooth, still very fresh, and still mildly tart on the finish. More enjoyable but less personality.

So, I would decant 6-12 hours (rather than 2) before serving, or wait another 6-12 years before opening another of this vintage. Best guess - if I had another.

1/27/2014 - noppakit s. wrote:

I looked for this wine to drink it again due to my Japanese friend said it is very good at this moment.

True !!!

The color is so red and clear.

The nose is clean and beautiful, at once the cork removed, very fragrant, very elegant like a Burgundy "Gevrey-Chambertin" with a tiny scent of typical Mouton.

I must say the nose as good as Lafite and Ausone combined, clean and seductive.

Lovely texture, medium-bodied, good balance because I can hold it within my mouth as long as I want to. Delicious and charming indeed.

Aftertaste as like nothing, only the happiness of powerless. Not such any impact but absolutely great feeling. Full-fill my heart, a very very good performance at this moment.

I'm sure that it can go for another 12 years and I would like to drink it again in next 6 years when it wakes up next time.

Dear Friends,

This bottle gives new attitude to my wine world. I finished my 6 bottles last 6-7 years because I think it can not go anywhere and I was wrong. If you have this wine, please taste it as soon as possible.

Don't believe in Parker's TN because this is not his type of wine.

" Trust Your Instinct and Come Feel The Truth."

Mouton 1973, it already makes my world a little bit more wider than ever.

Drink now - 2020/2026............96/100..............

ps. Glad to have 1-2 bottles left in my cellar.

1/8/2016 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:

Annual holiday dinner with DC winos: fabulous wines kick off 2016! (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): This was gorgeous. The second wine of Chateau Latour overshadowed the Haut Brion of the same vintage in some sense, although the Haut Brion had a longer finish. What all of us liked so much about this wine was its freshness, precision, balance and full body. It had some cassis still, with telltale cigar box notes. The only limit was a somewhat short finish, but as one taster remarked, it did not taste like a 45 year old wine. Perhaps the most surprising wine of the evening - and a testament to the great chateau that is Latour. Thanks to Ken Barr for bringing it over!

1/1/2016 - Papies wrote:

Decanted and served.
The nose is singing for the pop of the cork,light spice, violets, dark fruits. The wine felt well aged, had a beautiful depth and persist and elf flavour and nice core of acidity. Big but well balanced and once again we find that amplified balance that SQNs have, classy and with finesse. For sure it has quite a few summers in it. A good 95

12/17/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Incredible sense of purity in the fruit. The wine is completely seamless from start to finish. The texture blends pure silk and velvet, with exotic sensations. The finish keeps you on target for over 60 seconds. There is not much more you can ask of any wine.

6/27/2015 - PanosKakaviatos Does not like this wine:

Complex aromatics, not too far from maturing claret. Very Cabernet character - and with class. Touch of cedar, cassis and dark fruits, a bit stewed, lovely herbal notes and slight sweetness perhaps give it away as coming from a sunnier climate. There is adequate structure along with the warmth. The body is medium plus, even if the finish somewhat attenuated. But let's not be too nitpicky. This wine could stand up to very good Bordeaux, easily. And not too pricey. Thanks to Jurgen Steinke for this revelation.

10/16/2015 - Papies wrote:

Still quite a bit of dark colour, purple on the rim still. Quite ripe, sweet fruit nose, still a bit of oaky notes. Well round on the palate, silky and enjoyable. A touch too smooth and in a way simple because of it and lacks a bit of complexity a good wine but a bit monotonous. a very solid 89-90

9/28/2015 - gondrik Likes this wine:

Beautiful compelling fruit. Tanins were a bit harsh. Decanted for four hours; should have done six.

9/26/2014 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

This is a special bottling of Thalassitis with higher levels of sulfites being added than on the normal label.
I like it even more than last time a couple of years ago.
Intense mineral, petrol and nutty notes with floral honey notes along with citrus fruit. Very deep and intense flavor, full body and long finish. This is how I expect a moderately aged Santorini to be..

5/23/2014 - Wineteacher Likes this wine:

The cork was in pretty bad shape as it began to crumble with a Teflon screw inserted and when pulling began. We backed out the screw and began to try the two-prong extractor. The cork had pretty much lost all elasticity and came out in bits and pieces. The ullage was at the middle shoulder level. Although the color of the wine is significantly tile in color, the bouquet was wonderful, tea-like with much cedar and cocoa. The condition of the wine at 47 years was excellent. Complex, soft with virtually no tannins left but rich and pleasure giving. there is some dead leaf and dried figs and raisin. This wine was ranked by most at this Montrose vertical dinner (also served the 75, 76, 82, 89 and 90) as either first or second of the six vintages tasted.

9/26/2012 - Stefanos T. wrote:

From Antinori's winery in Puglia a very enjoyable and substantial wine indeed!! Chocolaty nose with cedar and sweet spicy notes, leather and jammy black fruit which although ripe it still has vibrant freshness. Mouth is medium to full and in no way heavy or boring. Acidity is very good tannins sweet and flavorful. Finish is very satisfying with a cedar-vegetal finish complementing the nose aromas which is very reminiscent of Cabernet. The wine can keep for a few more years but I do not think there is any reason for waiting to open a bottle of 2006.

Fellow CT's Papies wrote that Negroamaro is the same as the Greek Xinomavro - I do not know if this is correct, yet Xinomavro and Negroamaro mean similar things in Greek and Italian respectively: "acid-black" and "bitter-black" - as far as the wines are concerned they are very different: whereas Xinomavro is medium bodied with a firm structure and lean fruit, Negroamaro seems to have supple tannins, sweet fruit and a fruity rather than savory aromatic profile.

6/13/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

Very good wine.
Savoury nose with earthy aromas, leather, pencil shavings, cedar and red fruit compote.
Fluid texture on the palate with nice refreshing bitter finish.
Definitely ready but I would not hurry to drink up.

1/4/2015 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:

Chambolles and others at Mike and Cathy's: I served this wine blind in Burgundy glasses to see if the assembled Burgophiles would mistake this wine for a Burgundy. None of the tasters had had the wine before and a couple did think it might be Burgundy and all seemed to think it a serious wine. A perfumed, sweet and intriguing nose of dark berries, with some herbal elements (someone thought dill) and spicy notes. On palate, this is a superb, young wine, with serious fruit weight and concentration (from the old vines, presumably). An intense and persistent big boned wine, more dark berried than red, it is still quite primary and tannic. The tannins are however sweet and very fine grained. I had the 2011 regular Rosso the night before, and the Prephylloxera is quite a step up. It is relatively low acid, but not too low, I thought. On reflection, the wine is closer to an old vine Nebbiolo than a Burgundy. Finishing a sample the next day, neither the bouquet nor palate had moved. Give the Prephylloxera 5+ years in the cellar to come together.

5/26/2015 - Mike V wrote:

I love big and full bodied cdp. But this is too pruny.

3/22/2015 - Papies wrote:

Was used as a cooking wine on the evening but still we managed to keep a glass and try it, albeit not a proper note.
Felt a little bit harsh with a few edges and was not really in a nice place. No real fond memories here. Felt like an 85-6

1/24/2015 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Looks 10 years older. Animal-like/barnyard, tobacco and spices on the nose. Very fragrant and very long. Beautiful wine.

9/6/2013 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine:

Double decanted quickly for sediment and then drank a glass a night with dinner over 4 days, just replacing cork and storing in the fridge. Very dark and concentrated wine - almost black with a lovely rim of royal purple.

This a a baby, whilst the acidity made it approachable it clearly needs another 5-10 years before serious drinking. Nose is still a little muted for now, with some sharp cassis aroma initially and eventually black cherry. It may well be shut down.

After a few days this showed enough potential to have me hooked. I see lots of notes describing 'liquid ash' for this wine, but i think it is more blackcurrent, plums, earth and gravel, with a slightly drying mid-palate and finish at present that seems to accentuate the 'stones' taste. With air the dryness recedes and this becomes more of a herb taste - not provencal herbs of CdP, more like oregano.

What people do not seem to mention is the balance. It has a lovely uplighting acidity that makes this big wine so pleasing to drink even now. This really does remind me of an Italian version of 89 Montrose, with a little more minerality and herbs. Both are brooding dark wines with excellent balance, with a slightly shy nose but great balance and mouthfeel with blackcurrent, earth and clay flavours.

How will it age? I don't know, but it is still fantastic now and for the $50/bt price this is amazing value. Fingers crossed that it ages as well as 89 Monrtose. 94-95pts at the moment with potential for another 3 points with more time. Recommended.

7/6/2014 - Stefanos T. wrote:

Tropical fruit, florality and green peppers. Nice wine, but if the
benchmark for Viognier is Condrieu, this is too crisp and lacks the
aromatic exuberance of the prototype..

10/10/2014 - europat55 wrote:

Platinum Tasting - Best of the Bests (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Extraordinary nose, mushrooms, some brett (A/A+). Amesome palate (A/A+).
My #1, Group's #1 (42 pts). Tasted Blind. What a wine!! Probably the best wine I ever had the chance to try! Wow!!

9/16/2014 - Shiaxonna wrote:

Fruity, old, lovely. Taste is rich and with very powerful aftertaste. Extremely well put together. This was opened late in the evening so the tasting note is not very extensive. Sorry about that. Would really recommend this wine though.

50+5+12+16+8 (91p)

7/1/2014 - Papies wrote:

Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune & Cuvee Frederic Emile Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): Light golden in colour, glossy. Rich on the nose, “petrolly” feel, floral and with mineral edge. Quite rich on the palate to start and takes a bit of a pause till the acid structure shows up. A touch of residual sugar feel on the palate. Not as focussed as the other CstH and definitely very young now. Needs time we believe. 91-92 for now.

5/9/2014 - MC2 Wines wrote:

Zachy's Wine Auction - Spring 2014 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Earthy and cinnamon this wine starts really well and then dies a fairly quick death towards the end of the palette. It's a very soft wine and feels like it's meant to pair well with food (this was the first wine of the day and I don't think the bagels we had were quite the right food pairing). Surprised at how high the CT score is though - for me this wine was much more like a 90.

4/30/2014 - Stefanos T. Does not like this wine:

I would have assigned this bottle as flawed but its the second time and with a different vintage this time, that Kormilitsa is undrinkable and its a shame that such bottles are on the market. Let alone that these are very expensive wines.
A serious wine company should withdraw all bottles and destroy them and Tsantalis, a company that produces great wines, surely can afford it.
Nose is so foul smelling that it is difficult to even approach, dung and something chemical like sulfur make this wine undrinkable.
Kormilitsa Gold aka The Emperors new clothes.

8/23/2013 - Papies wrote:

From magnum and requires some decanting. Always a joy to come across well aged xinomavro ( We were told by Filippo Pulisci of Antinori that this is known as negroamaro in Italy and in both cases it translates as black & bitter, Jancis Robinson however told us that there is no Genetic Link) because with age it takes this delicate character almost a Pinot noir. The nose is quite open from start, with a bordeauxesque feel, leather, tobacco notes light earth. Still a decent amount fruit here, well round, silky tannin and with good depth. Lovely purity and character and full of typicity. For sure it has had a close encounter with oak in its elevage but that is long gone. Very nice! 92 and with quite a bit of life ahead.

12/27/2013 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

My last bottle from a batch supposedly bottled by the royal family of Belgium. Very deep color for its age with some browning in the edges. Typical Haut Brion nose, fantastic mouth, but I feel it has just started to decline, or maybe it was the bottle. Goodbye friend...

3/25/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine:

Quite dark, onion skin yellow-grey. Expressive nose with white rose, koufeto (candied almonds served at weddings), loukoum and citrus scents. Medium-bodied with obvious sweetness, medium acidity and satisfying length. One of the top moschofileros alongside Nassiakos, Tselepos and Skouras.

3/21/2014 - Yiannis Likes this wine:

What a pleasent surprise this wine was! It was opened by Stefanos T. who thought that it would be an overmature-oxidized wine and had bought it out of curiosity. Medium tawny color and obviously hazy. Evolved but absolutely healthy nose of kirsch liqueur, aged brandy, sweet plum, Asian spices, dried fig and leather. Medium-bodied with fully resolved tannins, balancing acidity and the fruit is still there, sweet and healthy! Long aftertaste. We really enjoyed this wine.

1/9/2014 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:

Bordeaux matters, along with Burgundy and Champagne and Port and ... (Ripple Restaurant in Washington D.C.): Fine ruby color. Medium legs. An initial nose of bandaid, a telltale sign of brett, blew off over time and the wine developed into a rather gorgeously balanced expression. Over time in glass, an almost creamy aspect with roasted fruit and ending with a pleasing note of espresso. The nose seemed almost sweet, and yet excellent acidity balanced the entire package, which exuded freshness. Certainly Old School Bordeaux, and I loved it.

1/4/2014 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

Mature, complex and compelling Brunello.
Nose was earthy/leathery with plummy and cherry fruit and nice sweet spice. Palate is medium to full, flavorful with firm but ripe tannins and nice chocolatey finish. Probably at peak but I guess it will remain here for a few more years.

4/19/2011 - Yiannis wrote:

Terroir 1, 2 and 3 are single vineyard experimental wines from the xinomavro grape. I remember that when these wines were first presented, at the Voroina 2009 fair (or was it 2010?), the terroir 2 was the one I liked less, so I decided to open it first. The color is very dark (especially given the variety) ruby-purple. On the nose, intense ripe blackberry, plums, dark cherry, oak, smoke and floral notes, with only hints of the signature (for xinomavro) tomato/tomato leaf aromas. Almost full-bodied with firm, dry tannins, very rich fruit, high acidity and a long finish. This is a modern-style xinomavro that could shock traditionalists. That said, it is a very well made and hedonistic wine that will improve with further bottle aging, gaining in roundness and coming together. My only concern is that given the ripeness of the fruit, it may become too jammy, resulting in total lack of freshness. Only time will tell...
Day 2: Almost half of the bottle sprayed with "winesave" and resealed. The wine has changed signifficantly, for the better I have to admit, but I wonder if winesave works at all...since there is obvious evolution here. Anyway, I will see in the long run. Back to the wine: more typical xinomavro character now, even though it is still very opulent and voluptuous. Tannins are much softer, and the tomato leaf/tobacco combination more noticeable now. The fruit retains its freshness, thankfully. Obviously the wine needs time in the cellar or prolonged aeration. An excellent expression of the xinomavro variety overall. I guess I have to keep the other 2 cuvees (Terroir 1 and 3) for some years in my cellar, but I cannot promise anything.

12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote:

With the color of a wine that is at least 15-20 years older than its true chronological age, the fully mature wine offers truffle, cigar box, cedar wood, tobacco, earth and dark, roasted berries. The wine is open, silky and sensuous, with an exotic texure on the palate that is sublime. There is no sensation of jammy flavors. But there is not a lot of stuffing here. This is not a wine to age for decades.

12/19/2013 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine:

Very dark color, still purple.
Nose is very expressive, clean and sweet with concentrated red and black berry fruit and sweet oaky spice.
On the palate it has a creamy feel, high fruit concentration is very well balanced by acidity and ripe tannins.
Body is medium to full and alcohol is well integrated. At this stage new oak notes dominate but this is not
necessarily a bad thing, fruit although abundant is yet undefined and rather focused. But the wine is so well balanced,
fruit is so abundant, tannins unobtrusive and oak so creamy that it can be drank on it own.
I do not know how the wine will evolve but at the moment the wine lacks the complexity of Porte du Ciel to which my friend Yiannis compares it.
Great value at around 15 euros.

11/28/2013 - tgkswine wrote:

Drinking very well now but also know this will get even better with time.

10/28/2013 - Yiannis Likes this wine:

My first perfect score. Initially I was divided between scoring it 99 or 100, but once Pomerol expert Neil Martin has awarded this a perfect score, who am I to disagree, given the fact that my dilemma was mostly based on my lack of knowledge/experience on how a "perfect" wine tastes like. Etheral, complex and powerful nose with an out of this world bouquet of dark chocolate, leather, cedar, black cherry, smoke and damp earth. Even more impressive on the palate, showing tremendous power, multi-layered and fresh(!) fruit as if it were merely 10 years old or so, no sign of volatility, silky (but still present) tannins and perfectly balancing acidity. Very long, almost endless aftertaste. What more can I say...an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thanks S.T. for offering this gem!

9/20/2013 - vinojones wrote:

Tasted with 89 La Chapelle, 45 min decant
Ruby Red, no bricking at the edges; much better fragrance than the 89 La Chapelle- this has elegant lavender ,rosemary, cedar aroma; big fall off to the flavor which is relativity thin,tart red cherry water; mouth feel very thin; thin finish

At 1988 vertical tasting of La Chapelle Gerard Jaboulet said that Jumelle was the same juice as La Chapelle brought into US via international routes when volumes for La Chapelle allowed it.

6/22/2013 - CamWheeler wrote:

Dinner at Tetsuya's: Served blind. Incredibly perfumed and pretty floral notes then spice, musk, cherry and a just a smidge of earth. On the palate it is so relaxed, composed and classy, especially next to the very tense/taut 2009. Very long, with considerable depth to it. I was surprised when this was revealed, but maybe I shouldn't have been as I think it might be impossible to go wrong with DRC in 2006.

4/29/2013 - Lord Rayas Likes this wine:

MNSC - Alex (Amuse Bouche): another 73 revelation. decanted for half an hour (but probably should have just popped and poured). sensational first whiff. sweet, floral, gamey, light spice. stupendous stuff. in the glass it almost became burgundian-like with its mix of floral perfume, light colour and slightly acidic finish. incredible.

1/28/2013 - kostaslonis wrote:

(Wines of Northen Greece Fair, Grande Bretagne Hotel) Wine served from 3lt bottle (constantly getting decanted).Evolved color and so was int he nose with mostly sweet aromas prevailing like vanilla. Sweet and round mouth, very fruity, tannins appearing after a while, balanced, melow, medium aftertaste. Has reached its top for a few years now, drink up

1/15/2013 - cr84 wrote:

La Janasse at The Oxford Wine Circle (Oxford University): According to Christophe Sabon, 1998 was a great vintage with a weird evolution: from age 0 to 3, the 1998s were outgoing, fruity, and round; then, those wines entered a weird phase to get down an oxidative road. Today, those wines unleash their greatness and get back to what could have at first been expected from them... and, indeed, this Janasse Vieilles Vignes 1998 behaves extremelly nicely but, to me, it's less structured than the 2001.

1/7/2013 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine:

Borderline 88 for me, but actually appreciate this style and has good character and mouth feel. The wine geek factor, as others have commented below gives this a 1+. May hold for a couple more years, but fruit is slightly fading at this point. Price makes this ok to try and hold. Nose is not so expressive, but some lighter berry/cherry note. A darker quality here, almost some earth like in nature. Palate is somewhat chewy with tannin and lighter acid. The tannin gives this a kick a lets you know the wine is present! I like that. Not a smooth wine to be sure. This would likely mellow over time, but again I like this structure/backbone. This is akin to the spicy kick you can get in food. Please try this out!