April 28, 2024 - in a half bottle. Tannins integated. just enjoyable
January 12, 2023 - This wine has such a good presence. It's wonderfully resolved and still very shapely and defined. The bouquet is loaded with black raspberries, dark cherries, and a beautiful note of eucalyptus. Rich, complex, layered, and so finely structured, with impressive energy and an herbal undertone to mature, dark fruit flavors. What a treat.
December 24, 2021 - N: on opening, really quite punchy aromatics, with immediate developed blackcurrant, quickly giving way to much more meaty and savoury aromas. Some herbal suggestions too, more sage than anything pyrazine-led.
P: very drying tannins than are immediate on the palate. Blood/iron flavour is really notable here, a little metallic. Still has fruit, but this is very much in the tertiary stage. Fairly long finish showing good amount of developed dried plum, herbal, blackcurrant. Not super heavy on the palate in terms of body and alcohol, but those tannins are just out of balance which suggests this was in a better place a few years ago when the fruit might have provided a counterpoint. Still, I was predicting this bottle might be dead, but there's enough to enjoy here.
May 2, 2021 - Still going strong. Drank over three days and better on day 2 & 3.Silky smooth stuff and will deliver for some time to come If you ask me. Drank alongside two Bdx bottles, all three over 3 days and the Carbonnieux 2009 definitely outperformed this pricier American bottle. Nonetheless happy to have one more bottle at my disposal.
November 18, 2017 - Still going strong. We opened two bottles and decanted straight away. Both needed time, a fair amount of time to open up, but once they did - delicious. Aromatic notes of fig, plum, cranberry and wafts of barnyard dare I say brambley. Silky smooth to the taste with layers of flavors - light fruitiness, coffee, chocolate and more...
You can drink this wine now and enjoy the hell out of it, or if stored properly, it will sit for another year, easy.
December 16, 2016 - Enjoyed this bottle after a 2001 Calon Segur. The Col Solare had a great deal of fruit showing, but not a nuanced as the bordeaux. Still a fine wine and holding up well to the age.
May 18, 2016 - Off. Dang.
April 2, 2016 - Needed to be decanted for over an hour - got better after this - not sure I would risk saving my final bottle any longer, it will be on my to drink list in the next few months
March 12, 2016 - Felt like it had lost most of its fruit and all that was left was a tannic finish. If you have any left, you may want to decant to see if it will soften at all.
February 29, 2016 - Apparently we were in luck. This wine drinks like it has a few more years left in it. We have a few more bottles and don't plan on waiting though. Been stung too many times by drinking a wine smack dab in the middle of its sweet spot and for no good reason thinking a few more years in the cellar could somehow improve on excellence. Then it wasn't.