March 1, 2024 - Gereiftes Bordeauxrot. In der Nase voll da, offen, Gewürze, schwarze Johannisbeeren, Tabak. Im Gaumen zugänglich, feine Tannine, perfekt gereift, milde Säure, baut aus, zeigt Würze, etwas Alkohol bei steigender Wärme, gute Länge. Jetzt bis 2030 geniessen.
February 3, 2024 - Perfect paired with steak, bearnaise, broccoli and baked potato
December 1, 2023 - Very youthful looking crimson purple in color. Lovely and classic aromas of cassis, dark florals, barnyard and woodfire. Well integrated palate shows sweet and savory reddish black fruits, dark cocoa, smoke, good acidity, fine tannins and an earthy and hint of tobacco in the finish.
November 13, 2023 - First day was not a good experience. Muted nose. Greenish oak/cedar notes on the palate. Air didn’t help much. Revisited on day 3, with significant improvement. Much smoother. Green notes resolved. Pure, even palate of dark fruit. I will hold my last few bottles.
November 9, 2023 - Enjoyed at Flemings Steakhouse. Acquired in 2010. Didn't take notes - dark red color with a nice clear meniscus. Cassis, dried black cherry, blackberry and tobacco. Palate was similar. Medium body, medium acidity, integrated tannins and nice long finish. Paired well with a NY Strip. Has aged beautifully. 92+
September 3, 2023 - Give it a couple hours of air. Tannins still rough and burly, but this bottle was much less tight than the last, and opened up eventually into a really nice balance of fruit and earth. No signs of decline, should continue to drink well for at least another 5+. 2005 is such a good vintage.
August 22, 2023 - 2nd bottle out of 12. Rather bigger than the first one, with slightly more apparent acid & tannin. Still powerfully fruit driven and youngish. I’ll leave the rest for a year or two to see whether they develop more complexity to balance the huge body. Very much a “Parker” wine now.
August 17, 2023 - I keep hoping for more out of this. I'm not sure if it's too young or it just isn't there. A very decent wine but a bit stern and ungiving. Maybe it will improve with a few more years but I keep just drinking them because I forget not to drink them!
August 10, 2023 - First bottle of a case bought en primeur. Darkish red, little sign of ageing. Nose took a while to develop but came through with good dark fruit. Savoury character on the palate, fair power rather than elegance, no tertiary flavours yet so probably still developing. Merlot more evident than the Cabernet. Tannins hidden by savoury fruit. Certainly a good wine now, with promise of complexity. Should decant an hour or two before drinking next time.
June 13, 2023 - Some good black plum fruit, but at 18 still showing some burnt coffee charred oak notes. Also a little clipped and hard. Maybe just a phase, but not too hopeful. C+/B-