4/12/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Something about this maker, as I seem to be settling on a 94 for almost every vintage that I try. Collector1855 did nothing but trash this wine, Spain and the Spaniards as a wine civilization, in no uncertain terms. What a crock.....right from the pnp the nose is floral cherry. The pour into the glass is of the clearest shimmering dark ruby I've ever poured.....just beautiful. Sampled for an hour before dinner, kept drinking thru dinner (of homemade tacos), and even though I had no plans of drinking this entire bottle tonight, that's exactly what happened later in the evening. 13% alc really allows the fruit and the winemaking to shine. Moderate tannins to start at the pnp but they softened and grew rounder thru the evening. Slight herbal component shows up more after 2-3 hours open but it's perfectly in balance and doesn't stand out at all. The red cherry fruit continues to grow and grow and the finish goes on and on! Make no mistake, this is not an Earth shattering wine that makes you want to quit your day job and move to Spain, but it's damn well made, clean, balanced and the qpr is off the charts for me. I hope the rest of my '10 stash is this good! Borders on a 95 for me, but not much left in the glass to get me through the rest of the night!

Addendum: slight amount left in the glass for an additional 3-4 hours so almost 8 in total open to air. The herbal component on the nose at hour 4 is completely gone. The fruit darkens slightly and the cherry has a little tartness on the very end. I am going to change my score on this one to a 95.

Additional addendum: I really don't care how many Commanderie de Bdx positions you hold, or how many First Growths you claim to have, or how many Chinese buyers you buy for......if you are such a snob as to think this wine is terrible and is beneath you, your opinions don't rate even a 1% consideration from me, personally. What a shallow way of living that must be......I just now looked up the WA score for this one and their 'expert' gave it a 96 for this vintage. All the more proof that some snobs on here know nothing about wine, no matter how long they've been drinking it, or how much their net worth.